e all this, Mr. Bryany," he interrupted with that
ferocity which in the Five Towns is regarded as mere directness, "I
wonder why the devil you want to sell your half of the option--if you
_do_ want to sell it. Do you want to sell it?"

"To tell you the truth," said Mr. Bryany, as if up to that moment he
had told naught but lies, "I do."

"Why?"

"Oh, I'm always travelling about, you see. England one day--America
the next." (Apparently he had quickly abandoned the strictness of
veracity.) "All depends on the governor's movements! I couldn't keep a
proper eye on an affair of that kind."

Edward Henry laughed:

"And could I?"

"Chance for you to go a bit oftener to London," said Mr. Bryany,
laughing too. Then, with extreme and convincing seriousness, "You're
the very man for a thing of that kind. And you know it!"

Edward Henry was not displeased by this flattery.

"How much?"

"How much? Well, I told you frankly what I paid. I made no concealment
of that, did I now? Well, I want what I paid. It's worth it!"

"Got a copy of the option, I hope!"

Mr. Bryany produced a copy of the option.

"I am nothing but an infernal ass to mix myself up in a mad scheme
like this," said Edward Henry to his soul, perusing the documents.
"It's right off my line, right bang off it ...! But what a lark!" But
even to his soul he did not utter the remainder of the truth about
himself, namely: "I should like to cut a dash before this insufferable
patronizer of England and the Five Towns."

Suddenly something snapped within him and he said to Mr. Bryany:

"I'm on!"

Those words and no more!

"You are?" Mr. Bryany exclaimed, mistrusting his ears.

Edward Henry nodded.

"Well, that's business anyway!" said Mr. Bryany, taking a fresh
cigarette and lighting it.

"It's how we do business down here," said Edward Henry, quite
inaccurately; for it was not in the least how they did business down
there.

Mr. Bryany asked, with a rather obvious anxiety:

"But when can you pay?"

"Oh, I'll send you a cheque in a day or two." And Edward Henry in his
turn took a fresh cigarette.

"That won't do! That won't do!" cried Mr. Bryany. "I absolutely must
have the money to-morrow morning in London. I can sell the option in
London for eighty pounds--I know that."

"You must have it?"

"Must!"

They exchanged glances. And Edward Henry, rapidly acquiring new
knowledge of human nature on the threshold of a world strange to him,
underst