erstood the
drift of Hervey's words in a twinkling. He had experienced this sort
of thing before from other men. Now he did not discourage it.

"A hundred a month on the prairie should be a princely--er--wage," he
said in his grave way. "Of course it might be different in a city."

"It is," said Hervey decidedly. "I don't know, I'm sure," he went on,
after a moment's pause. "I suppose I must weather through somehow."

He looked across at Iredale in such a definitely meaning way that the
latter had no hesitation in speaking plainly. He knew it was money,
and this was Prudence's brother.

"Got into a--mess?" he suggested encouragingly.

Hervey felt that he had an easy victim, but he smoked pensively for a
moment before he spoke, keeping his great eyes turned well down upon
the table-cover.

"Um--I lost a lot of money at poker the last time I was in the city. I
was in an awful streak of bad luck; could do nothing right. Generally
it's the other way about. Now they're pressing me to redeem the
I.O.U.s. When they owe me I notice they're not so eager about it."

"That's bad; I'm sorry to hear it." Iredale's eyes were smiling,
whilst in their depths there was the faintest suspicion of irony. He
was in no way imposed upon by the breadth of the fabrication. It was
the old story. He, too, lit his pipe and leant back in his chair. "I
hope the amount is not too overwhelming. If I can--er--be----"

Hervey interrupted him eagerly. He brought his hand down heavily upon
the table.

"By Jove! you are a good sort, George. If you could--just a loan, of
course--you see I can offer you security on my certain inheritance of
the farm----"

But Iredale had no wish to hear anything about his future possibilities
of inheritance. He interrupted him sharply, and his tone was unusually
icy.

"Tut--tut, man. Never mind about that. In spite of your need of money,
I hope it will be many a year before your mother leaves our farming
world."

"I trust so," murmured Hervey, without enthusiasm.

"How much will appease your creditors?"

Iredale spoke with such indifference about the amount that Hervey
promptly decided to double the sum he originally intended to ask for.

"Five thousand dollars," he said, with some show of diffidence, but
with eyes that gazed hungrily towards this man who treated the loaning
of a large amount in such a careless manner.

Iredale offered no comment. He merely rose from his seat, and opening
a drawer in his