sibility of failure. Besides, my boy, never lose sight of the fact
that we shall be speculating with other people's money. We ourselves
have nothing to lose, absolutely nothing."

"I am not likely to lose sight of it," said Ezra angrily, his mind
coming back to his grievance.

"I reckon that we can raise from forty to fifty thousand pounds without
much difficulty. My name is, as you know, as good as that of any firm
in the City. For nearly forty years it has been above stain or
suspicion. If we carry on our plans at once, and lay this money out
judiciously, all may come right."

"It's Hobson's choice," the young man remarked. "We must try some bold
stroke of the sort. Have you chosen the right sort of men for agents?
You should have men of some standing to set such reports going.
They would have more weight then."

John Girdlestone shook his head despondingly. "How am I to get a man of
any standing to do such a piece of business?" he said.

"Nothing easier," answered Ezra, with a cynical laugh. "I could pick
out a score of impecunious fellows from the clubs who would be only too
glad to earn a hundred or two in any way you can mention. All their
talk about honour and so forth is very pretty and edifying, but it's not
meant for every day use. Of course we should have to pay him."

"Them, you mean?"

"No, we should only want one man."

"How about our purchaser at the diamond fields?"

"You don't mean to say," Ezra said roughly, "that you would be so absurd
as to trust any man with our money. Why, I wouldn't let the Archbishop
of Canterbury out of my sight with forty thousand pounds of mine. No, I
shall go myself to the diamond fields--that is, if I can trust you here
alone."

"That is unkind, Ezra," said his father. "Your idea is an excellent
one. I should have proposed it myself but for the discomforts and
hardships of such a journey."

"There's no use doing things by halves," the young man remarked. "As to
our other agent, I have the very man--Major Tobias Clutterbuck. He is a
shrewd, clever fellow, and he's always hard up. Last week he wanted to
borrow a tenner from me. The job would be a godsend to him, and his
social rank would be a great help to our plan. I'll answer for his
jumping at the idea."

"Sound him on the subject, then."

"I will."

"I am glad," said the old merchant, "that you and I have had this
conversation, Ezra. The fact of my having speculated without your
know