He sighed and Bones sighed.

"Your uncle was a great man, Mr. Tibbetts," he said, "one of the
greatest business men in this little city. What a man!"

"Ah!" said Bones, shaking his head mournfully.

He had never met his uncle and had seldom heard of him. Saul Tibbetts
was reputedly a miser, and his language was of such violence that the
infant Augustus was invariably hurried to the nursery on such rare
occasions as old Saul paid a family visit. His inheritance had come to
Bones as in a dream, from the unreality of which he had not yet
awakened.

"I must confess, Mr. Tibbetts," said Fred, "that I have often had
qualms of conscience about your uncle, and I have been on the point of
coming round to see you several times. This morning I said to my
brother, 'Joe,' I said, 'I'm going round to see Tibbetts.' Forgive the
familiarity, but we talk of firms like the Rothschilds and the Morgans
without any formality."

"Naturally, naturally, naturally," murmured Bones gruffly.

"I said: 'I'll go and see Tibbetts and get it off my chest. If he
wants those ships back at the price we paid for them, or even less, he
shall have them.' 'Fred,' he said, 'you're too sensitive for
business.' 'Joe,' I said, 'my conscience works even in business
hours.'"

A light dawned on Bones and he brightened visibly.

"Ah, yes, my dear old Pole," he said almost cheerily, "I understand.
You diddled my dear old uncle--bless his heart--out of money, and you
want to pay it back. Fred"--Bones rose and extended his knuckly
hand--"you're a jolly old sportsman, and you can put it there!"

"What I was going to say----" began Fred seriously agitated.

"Not a word. We'll have a bottle on this. What will you
have--ginger-beer or cider?"

Mr. Fred suppressed a shudder with difficulty.

"Wait, wait, Mr. Tibbetts," he begged; "I think I ought to explain. We
did not, of course, knowingly rob your uncle----"

"No, no, naturally," said Bones, with a facial contortion which passed
for a wink. "Certainly not. We business men never rob anybody. Ali,
bring the drinks!"

"We did not consciously rob him," continued Mr. Fred desperately, "but
what we did do---- ah, this is my confession!"

"You borrowed a bit and didn't pay it back. Ah, naughty!" said Bones.
"Out with the corkscrew, Ali. What shall it be--a cream soda or
non-alcoholic ale?"

Mr. Fred looked long and earnestly at the young man.

"Mr. Tibbetts," he said, and suddenly grasped