done wisely in speaking to you so frankly. You will perhaps
understand now why Miss Drake insisted on a promise of secrecy."

"What! Daniel Drake in need of money?" said Mr. Swift, staring at him or
rather through him, and already perceiving the tremendous significance
of this disclosure upon the distraught times.

"At least Miss Drake believes so," said Bojo carefully. "She may
exaggerate the necessity. What she is doing she is doing because she has
made up her mind herself to do it and not because I have advised her or
suggested it in the slightest. You are too good a friend of the family I
know, sir, to speak of what has occurred."

"Oh, Mr. Swift," said Patsie, breaking in and seizing his hand
impulsively, "you _will_ help me, won't you?"

Mr. Swift gazed at her blankly, a hundred thoughts racing through his
mind; still too upset by the news he had just received, which could not
fail to be full of significance to his own fortunes, to be able to
focus for the moment on the immediate decision.

Patsie repeated her demand with a quivering lip. He came out of his
abstraction and began to think, arranging and rearranging a pile of
letters before him, convinced at last that the situation was of the
highest seriousness.

"Wait, wait a moment; I must think it over," he said slowly. "This is an
unusually serious decision you have put up to me. My dear Patsie, you
know nothing about such matters; you're a child."

"I am eighteen and I have a right to dispose of what belongs to me."

"Yes, yes, you have the right, but I have the right also to advise you
and to make you see the situation as it exists." His manner changed
immediately and he said simply and frankly, "Since you have trusted me,
you must give me your full confidence. I shan't abuse it. Mr. Crocker, I
can see by your manner and your attempt at caution that this matter is
not a trifle. Do you know from your own knowledge how serious it is?
Please do not hide anything from me."

"I won't," said Bojo. "I know of my personal knowledge and I believe it
to be as serious as it can possibly be."

The two men exchanged a glance and the look in both their eyes told
Swift even more than his words revealed, more than he wished Patsie
herself to suspect.

"Suppose the very worst were true," said Mr. Swift after a moment's
thought, "that your father was in danger of complete failure? I am
merely supposing this extreme case to show you the difficulty of my
position. Y