take, only
served to make the description less intelligible. At length he had got
so far as to conjure up a busy, thriving, well-to-do watering-place,
sought after by the fashionable world that once had loved Brighton or
Dieppe. He had peopled the shore with loungers, and the hotels with
visitors; equipages were seen flocking in, and a hissing steamer in
the harbor was already sounding the note of departure for Liverpool or
Holyhead, when Dunn, suddenly rousing himself from what might have been
a revery, said, "And the money, my Lord,--the means to do all this?"

"The money--the means--we look to _you_, Dunn, to answer that question.
Our scheme is a great shareholding company of five thousand--no,
fifty--nay, I 'm wrong. What is it, Augusta?"

"The exact amount scarcely signifies much, my Lord. The excellence of
the project once proved, money can always be had. What I desired to know
was, if you already possessed the confidence of some great capitalist
favorable to the undertaking, or is it simply its intrinsic merits which
recommend it?"

"Its own merits, of course," broke in Lord Glengariff, hastily. "Are
they not sufficient?"

"I am not in a position to affirm or deny that opinion," said Dunn,
gravely. "Let me see," added he, to himself, while he drew a pencil from
his pocket, and on the back of a letter proceeded to scratch certain
figures. He continued to calculate thus for some minutes, when at last
he said: "If you like to try it, my Lord, with an advance of say twenty
thousand pounds, there will be no great difficulty in raising the money.
Once afloat, you will be in a position to enlist shareholders easily
enough." He spoke with all the cool indifference of one discussing the
weather.

"I must say, Dunn," cried Lord Glengariff, with warmth, "this is a very
noble--a very generous offer. I conclude my personal security--"

"We can talk over all this at another time, my Lord," broke in Dunn,
smiling. "Lady Augusta will leave us if we go into questions of bonds
and parchments. My first care will be to send you down Mr. Steadman, a
very competent person, who will make the necessary surveys; his report,
too, will be important in the share market."

"So that the scheme enlists your co-operation, Dunn,--so that we have
_you_ with us," cried the old Lord, rubbing his hands, "I have no fears
as to success."

"May we reckon upon so much?" whispered Lady Augusta, while a long,
soft, meaning glance stole from her