, seeing that his eyes were
still fixed on me with a greedy intense light.

"'If my father were alive now,' said Jasper, rising to his feet and
coming to my side, 'if my father were alive now, he would break his
heart, to see the business which he made with such pride and skill, come
to absolute grief. If my father were still alive; if that crash had come
but a fortnight ago, he would say, 'Save the firm at any cost.'

"'But he is dead,' I said, 'we cannot save the firm. What do you mean,
Jasper? I confess I cannot see to what you are driving.'

"'John,' said my brother, 'you are stupid. If our father could speak to
us now, he would say, 'Take the money, all the money I have left, and
save the firm of Harman Brothers.'

"'You mean,' I said, 'you mean that we--we are to _steal_ that money,
the money left to the widow, and the fatherless?'

"I understood the meaning now. I staggered to my feet. I could have
felled my brother to the ground. He was my brother, my only brother; but
at that moment, so true were my heart's instincts to the good and
right, that I loathed him. Before however, I could say a word, or utter
a reproach, a message came to me from my wife. I was wanted in my wife's
room instantly, she was excited, she was worse. I flew away without a
word.

"'Come back again, I will wait for you here,' called after me my
brother.

"I entered Constance's room. I think she was a little delirious. She was
still talking about money, about being hungry and having no money to buy
bread. Perhaps a presentiment of _the_ evil news had come to her. I had
to soothe, to assure her that all she desired should be hers. I even
took my purse out and put it into her burning hand. At last she believed
me; she fell asleep with her hand in mine. I dared not stir from her;
and all the time as I sat far into the night, I thought over Jasper's
words. They were terrible words, but I could not get them out of my
head, they were burning like fire into my brain. At last Constance
awoke; she was better, and I could leave her. It was now almost morning.
I went to my study, for I could not sleep. To my surprise, Jasper was
still there. It was six hours since I had left him, but he had not
stirred.

"'John,' he said, seeing that I shrank from him, 'you must hear me out.
Call my plan by as ugly a name as you like, no other plan will save the
firm. John, will you hear me speak?'

"'Yes, I will hear you,' I said. I sank down on the sofa. My