urselves in
which to meditate upon the stringency of the banking laws--"

"Nonsense! That's n-nothing--nothing serious." Nelson's ruddy color had
slowly vanished; with uncertain hand he reached for the nearest chair,
and upon it he leaned as he continued, jerkily: "Irregular,
perhaps--I'll admit it was irregular, but--there's nothing _wrong_--Oh,
you'll make it look as bad as possible, I dare say! But you don't
understand the circumstances. Anyhow, father is getting it straightened
out; all he needs is time. We'll be able to handle it, all right. We're
good, you know, perfectly good--"

"You're broke! Everybody else knows it, if you don't. '_Irregular_'!
Ha! There's a choice of words!" The speaker laughed silently. "It is an
'irregularity' that carries with it free board and lodging at the
state's expense."

An incoherent protest issued from Nelson's throat. When next he managed
to make himself audible, his words were such as really to amaze his
hearer. "_I_ didn't do it," he cried, in a panic-stricken voice. "It
was father's idea! You had us crowded--there was no other way. I warned
him--"

"Wait a minute! You blame it on _him_?" Gray's inquiry was harsh,
incredulous. After a momentary pause his lips moved, but for once he
stammered, his ready tongue refused its duty. He exploded, finally,
with an oath; he jerked open a drawer in his desk. From his pocket he
removed his revolver, flung it inside, then jammed the drawer back into
place with a crash. "You--_rat_!" he exclaimed. He turned his back upon
Henry Nelson and made a circuit of the little room.

"It's a thing you and I can easily fix up," the latter feebly insisted.
"Now that personal matter of yours--Perhaps I could help you reopen it
somehow, clear it up."

"Ah! Indeed!"

"Give and take, I say. I'm willing to do anything I can, if--"

"There won't be any 'ifs'! No conditions whatever."

"Is that so?" Nelson flamed forth, in a momentary explosion of
resentment. "If you think I intend to stand the brunt of this, you're
crazy. I can't afford to figure in a scandal--banking scandal--like
this. I'm a young man. Bell has had his day. He's old. You can hush
this up. There are lots of ways to do that. Keep me out of it and--and
I'll do what's right by you; I'll do anything you say."

"You'll do that, anyhow," Gray replied, in a voice that grated. He
flung himself into his desk chair and, seizing pen and paper, he began
to write rapidly, shakily.

"I want