und on Edmonds. "You have come here for money? You may
as well tell me. I won't leave you with Gregory until you do."

It was quite evident that she would make her promise good, and Edmonds
nodded.

"Yes," he said; "about 3,000 dollars."

"And Gregory can't pay you?"

Edmonds reflected rapidly, and decided to take a bold course. He was
acquainted with Hawtrey's habit of putting things off, and fancied that
the latter would seize upon the first loophole of escape from an
embarrassing situation. That was why he gave him a lead.

"Well," he said, "there is a way in which he could do it if he wished.
He has only to fill in a paper and hand it me."

He had, however, not sufficiently counted on Sally's knowledge of his
victim's affairs, or her quickness of wit, for she turned to Hawtrey
with a commanding gesture.

"Where are you going to get 3,000 dollars from?" she asked.

The blood crept into Hawtrey's face, for this was a thing he could not
tell her; but a swift suspicion flashed into her mind as she looked at
him.

"Perhaps it could be--raised," he said.

"To pay his mortgage off?" and Sally swung round on Edmonds now.

"Yes," the latter admitted; "he can easily do it."

Then the girl turned to Hawtrey. "Gregory," she said with harsh
incisiveness, "there's only one way you could get that money--and it
isn't yours."

Hawtrey said nothing, but he could not meet her gaze, and when he
turned from her she looked back at the mortgage jobber.

"If you're gone before I come back there'll sure be trouble," she
informed him, and sped swiftly out of the room.

Then Hawtrey sat down limply in his chair, and Edmonds laughed in a
jarring manner. The game was up, but, after all, if he got his 3,000
dollars he could be satisfied, for he had already extracted a good many
from Hawtrey one way or another.

"If I were you I'd marry that girl right away," he said. "You'd be
safer if you had her to look after you."

Hawtrey let the jibe pass. For one thing, he felt that it was
warranted, and just then his anxiety was too strong for anger.

In the meanwhile, Sally ran out of the house to meet Hastings, who had
just handed his wife down from their waggon, and drew him a pace or two
aside.

"I'm worried about Gregory," she said; "he's in trouble--big trouble.
Somehow we have got to raise 3,000 dollars. Edmonds is inside with
him."

Hastings did not seem greatly astonished. "Ah!" he said, "I guess it's
over th