before perpetrating the final act of
folly. The position of affairs, as outlined by Mr Herbert, was gloomy
enough, but he made it clear to Dick that for the moment he was speaking
with reserve, as it was impossible for him to say anything of an
absolutely definite character until the investigation--which was being
conducted with the aid of a firm of chartered accountants of high
standing--should be complete.

Having now ascertained all in connection with the deplorable business
that was for the moment possible, Dick returned to his mother and did
his best to comfort and encourage her; but, as might have been expected,
his efforts met with no very great measure of success, seeing that there
was practically nothing of a comforting or encouraging character in the
story told him by Jonas Cuthbertson's chief clerk.

The next morning Dick Maitland returned to Number 19 Paradise Street,
where he found his friend Humphreys as busily engaged as ever in his
work of healing the sick and comforting the sorrowing poor, and received
a welcome from the cheery, genial medico that seemed to ease his
shoulders of at least half their load of anxiety. But it was not until
well on towards evening that the claims upon the Doctor's time and
attention slackened sufficiently to afford an opportunity for Dick to
tell his story, which, after all, was only an amplified edition of the
story originally told in Mrs Maitland's letter.

When at length the tale was fully told, and Humphreys had, by dint of
much cross-questioning, fully mastered all its miserable details, he sat
for half an hour or more, smoking diligently and silently as he
considered in what way he could best help his young friend. At length,
however, an idea seemed to occur to him, for he looked up and said:

"Well, Dick, my friend, it sounds about as bad as anything that I have
heard of for many a long day! Why in the world did that fool of a
lawyer want to meddle with gambling? Why could he not have been content
to devote his energies to the conduct of the business--a first-class
one, according to his chief clerk's account--which his father left him,
and which would have provided him with a very comfortable living all his
days and, probably, a snug competency to retire upon when he found
himself getting too old for work? I tell you what it is, my boy: this
mad craving to get rich quickly is one of the great curses of these
latter days. When it once gets a firm grip upon i