ird of her fortune? But you do not know my
mother. When she has made up her mind nothing will ever change it."

"Let us hope you are wrong."

She laughed again and began walking up and down, her hands clenched,
trying to think of some way out.

"Poor Dad, just when he needs all his courage to go on fighting! This,
too, has broken him up. That's the only sort of a blow he couldn't get
over."

The butler came in at this moment, announcing dinner.

"No, no; not for me," she said. "I couldn't; but you, perhaps?"

"No, not until your father comes back."

The butler went out. Bojo held out his hand to her, saying: "Come here;
sit down by me." Worn out by the strain of emotions, she obeyed quietly.
She came to take a seat on the sofa beside him, looked a moment into his
eyes, saw the depths of tenderness and sympathy there and with a tired,
fleeting smile laid her head gratefully on his shoulder.

It was almost eleven o'clock before Drake came wearily in. They were
exhausted with the long tensity of their vigil, waiting for every sound
that would announce his arrival, but at his entrance they stood up,
vibrantly alert. One glance at Drake, at the hunted and harassed look
across his forehead told Bojo that the worst had happened. Patsie went
to her father bravely with a steady smile that never wavered and put her
arms around his neck.

"Pretty bad, isn't it, Dad?" she said.

He nodded, incapable for the moment of speech.

"I am so sorry. Never mind, even if we have to begin at the bottom we
will win out again."

Bojo had come up and taken his free hand, looking in his eyes anxiously
for the answer.

"I guess the game is up," said Drake at last. "There is only one chance,
and though I swore I never would do it--" he stopped a moment, running
his hand over Patsie's golden curls, "I guess I'll have to swallow my
pride," he said.

"You're going to her," said the daughter, shuddering.

"Once more," he said, grimly.

Leaving her he went to the little table by the desk and poured out a
stiff drink.

"Whew, what a day! Two hours more and I might have pulled through; I
thought I had it all fixed up, but that Clearing House mess ended that!
You can't sell men eggs at five cents a piece when they know to-morrow
they can get the same at three cents."

He tried to smile, but back of it all Bojo was alarmed to see the
disorder in the physical and moral man which had gained over him since
yesterday. Despite Drake's det