o subscribe for shares in Dreamland Gold mines. Mr.
White had attended incognito--his shares were held in the name of his
lawyer, who was thinking seriously of building an annex to hold the
unprofitable scrip.

Mr. White was gratified to discover a kindred soul who believed in this
kind of speculation.

It was to the doctor's apartment that he was now walking. That gentleman
met him in the entrance and accompanied him to his room. There was a
light in the fanlight of Oliva's flat, for she had brought some of her
work home to finish, but Mr. Beale's flat was dark.

This the doctor noted before he closed his own door, and switched on the
light.

"Well, White, have you made up your mind?" he demanded without
preliminary.

"I--ah--have and I--ah--have not," said the cautious adventurer. "Forty
thousand is a lot of money--a fortune, one might say--yes, a fortune."

"Have you raised it?"

Mr. White sniffed his objection to this direct examination.

"My broker has very kindly realized the debentures--I am--ah--somewhat
indebted to him, and it was necessary to secure his permission and--yes,
I have the money at my bank."

He gazed benignly at the other, as one who conferred a favour by the
mere bestowal of his confidences.

"First, doctor--forgive me if I am a little cautious; first I say, it is
necessary that I should know a little more about your remarkable scheme,
for remarkable I am sure it is."

The doctor poured out a whisky and soda and passed the glass to his
visitor, who smilingly waved it aside.

"Wine is a mocker," he said, "nothing stronger than cider has ever
passed my lips--pray do not be offended."

"And yet I seem to remember that you held shares in the Northern Saloon
Trust," said the doctor, with a little curl of his bearded lips.

"That," said Mr. White hastily, "was a purely commercial--ah--affair. In
business one must exploit even the--ah--sins and weaknesses of our
fellows."

"As to my scheme," said the doctor, changing the subject, "I'm afraid I
must ask you to invest in the dark. I can promise you that you will get
your capital back a hundred times over. I realize that you have heard
that sort of thing before, and that my suggestion has all the appearance
of a confidence trick, except that I do not offer you even the
substantial security of a gold brick. I may not use your money--I
believe that I shall not. On the other hand, I may. If it is to be of
any use to me it must be in my han