to him, and gave up the effort to dissuade him. He
insisted upon leaving New York, as there was no opportunity to redeem
himself in the metropolis.

"I've made up my mind, Monty, to go out west, up in the mountains
perhaps. There's no telling, I may stumble on a gold mine up
there--and--well, that seems to be the only chance I have to restore
what I have taken from you."

"By Jove, Nopper, I have it!" cried Monty. "If you must go, I'll stake
you in the hunt for gold."

In the end "Nopper" consented to follow Brewster's advice, and it was
agreed that they should share equally all that resulted from his
prospecting tour. Brewster "grub-staked" him for a year, and before the
end of the week a new tenderfoot was on his way to the Rocky Mountains.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE PRODIGAL AT SEA

Harrison's departure left Brewster in sore straits. It forced him to
settle down to the actual management of his own affairs. He was not
indolent, but this was not the kind of work he cared to encourage. The
private accounts he had kept revealed some appalling facts when he went
over them carefully one morning at four o'clock, after an all-night
session with the ledger. With infinite pains he had managed to rise to
something over $450,000 in six months. But to his original million it
had been necessary to add $58,550 which he had realized from Lumber and
Fuel and some of his other "unfortunate" operations. At least $40,000
would come to him ultimately through the sale of furniture and other
belongings, and then there would be something like $20,000 interest to
consider. But luck had aided him in getting rid of his money. The bank
failure had cost him $113,468.25, and "Nopper" Harrison had helped him
to the extent of $60,000. The reckless but determined effort to give a
ball had cost $30,000. What he had lost during his illness had been
pretty well offset by the unlucky concert tour. The Florida trip,
including medical attention, the cottage and living expenses, had
entailed the expenditure of $18,500, and his princely dinners and
theater parties had footed up $31,000. Taking all the facts into
consideration, he felt that he had done rather well as far as he had
gone, but the hardest part of the undertaking was yet to come. He was
still in possession of an enormous sum, which must disappear before
September 23d. About $40,000 had already been expended in the yachting
project.

He determined to begin at once a systematic campaign