hing in the front is real, but all behind is sham dummies an'
empty boxes."

Gorman opened his eyes a little on hearing this.

"Good," he said, after a pause; "you're a cleverer fellow than I took
you for. I thought you was well off, and I'm sure the neighbours think
the same, for the place looks pretty full an' thrivin'. I suppose, now,
if it was all sold off you wouldn't have enough to pay up my loans?"

"Nothink like it," said Boone earnestly. "I've slaved night and day,
an' done my best, but luck's again' me."

"Ah, that's 'cause you've bin faint-hearted in time past; you're goin'
to be bold in time to come, my good fellow; you'll have to be bold, you
will. Come, I'll explain how. But first, let me ask how much you think
the stock is worth."

"Not much above fifty pounds."

"Hum! it looks like more."

"That's true, an' the people about think it's worth two or three
hundred, for you see I have a lot o' cheap jewellery, and some of the
inquisitive ones have been trying to pump me of late. They all think
I'm thriving," said Boone, shaking his head sorrowfully.

"So you are, so you are, man," said Gorman jocosely, "and you're going
to make your fortune soon, and so am I, though at present I'm poor
enough. However, that don't matter. Here's your course for the future,
which you're to steer by. You'll go an' begin chatting with your
neighbours at odd times, and your conversation, curiously enough, will
always be about the times bein' better than usual, an' about the
approach of Christmas, an' the stock you mean to lay in against that
festive season. After that you'll lay in the stock--fifty pounds'
worth; and it won't be sham; it'll be real--"

"But where is the money to come from?" asked Boone.

"Oh, don't you trouble about the money; I'll provide that. I've a
curious power of raisin' the wind on easy terms. Fifty pounds' worth of
real goods will be bought by you, my thriving shopman, and you'll let
some of the neighbours, partiklerly these same inquisitive 'uns, see the
goods and some of the invoices, and you'll tell them that you've laid in
150 pounds worth of stock, and that you think of layin' in more. On the
strength of the press o' business you'll get another shop-lad, and
you'll keep 'em employed a good deal goin' messages, so that they won't
get to know much about the state o' things, and I'll take care to send
you a rare lot o' customers, who'll come pretty often for small
purchases, and