creature. He eyed his partner with a contempt which he took no pains to conceal. This, then, was the smart young fellow recommended to him on all sides, a few years ago, as one of the shrewdest young men in his own particular department, a person bound to succeed, a money-maker if ever there was one! Laverick thought of him as he appeared at the office day by day, glossy and immaculately dressed, with a flower in his buttonhole, boots that were a trifle too shiny, hat and coat, gloves and manner, all imitation but all very near the real thing. What a collapse! 

 “You’re going to stay and see it through?” he whined across the table. 

 “Certainly,” Laverick answered. 

 The young man buried his face in his hands. 

 “I can’t! I can’t!” he moaned. “I couldn’t bear seeing all the fellows, hearing them whisper things—oh, Lord! Oh, Lord!... Laverick, we’ve a few hundreds left. Give me something and let me out of it. You’re a stronger sort of man than I am. You can face it,—I can’t! Give me enough to get abroad with, and if ever I do any good I’ll remember it, I will indeed.” 

 Laverick was silent for a moment. His companion watched his face eagerly. After all, why not let him go? He was no help, no comfort. The very sight of him was contemptible. 

 “I have paid no money into the bank for several days,” Laverick said slowly. “When they refused to help us, it was, of course, obvious that they guessed how things were.” 

 “Quite right, quite right!” the young man interrupted feverishly. “They would have stuck to it against the overdraft. How much have we got in the safe?” 

 “This afternoon,” Laverick continued, “I changed all our cheques. You can count the proceeds for yourself. There are, I think, eleven hundred pounds. You can take two hundred and fifty, and you can take them with you—to any place you like.” 

 The young man was already at the safe. The notes were between them, on the table. He counted quickly with the fingers of a born manipulator of money. When he had gathered up two hundred and fifty pounds, Laverick’s hand fell upon his. 

 “No more,” he ordered sternly. 

 “But, my dear fellow,” Morrison protested, “half of eleven hundred is five hundred and fifty. Why should we not go halves? That is only fair, Laverick. It is little enough. We ought to have had a great deal 

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