the road by risking whatever little
fortune I possessed, and you followed. Now we have each of us lost our
money, and there 's the whole story."

"But it's May's money I 've lost!" cried he, with a voice of anguish.

"I don't suppose it matters much to whom it belonged once," said she,
dryly. "The gentlemen into whose hands it falls will scarcely burden
themselves to ask whence it came."

"But I had no right to gamble May Leslie's fortune!" burst he in.

"We have no time for the ethical part of the question at present," said
she, calmly. "Our concern is with how we are to save the most we can. I
have just seen the names of two houses at New York, which, if aided in
time, will be able to stand the torrent, and eventually pay everything.
To save their credit here will require about eighteen thousand pounds.
It is our interest--our only hope, indeed--to rescue them. Could you
induce May to take this step?"

"Induce May to peril another large portion of her fortune!" cried he,
in horror and astonishment.

"Induce her to arrest what might proceed to her ruin," whispered she,
in a low, distinct voice. "If these American securities are forfeited,
there will be no money forthcoming to meet the calls for the Spanish
railroads, no resources to pay the deposit on the concessions in Naples.
You seem to forget how deep our present engagements are. We shall need
above thirty thousand pounds by the 1st of March,--fully as much more
six weeks later."

The old man clasped his hands convulsively, and trembled from head to
foot.

"You know well how ignorant she is of all we have done, all we are
doing," said he, with deep emotion.

"I know well that no one ever labored and worked for _my_ benefit as
I have toiled for _hers_. My endeavor was to triple, quadruple her
fortune, and if unforeseen casualties have arisen to thwart my plans,
I am not deterred by such disasters. I wish I could say as much for
_you_."

The ineffable insolence of her manner as she uttered this taunt, far
from rousing the old man's anger, seemed only to awe and subdue him.

"Yes," continued she, "I am only a woman, and, as a woman, debarred from
all those resorts where information is rife and knowledge attainable;
but even working darkly, blindly, as I must, I have more reliance and
courage than some men that I wot of!"

He seemed for a moment to struggle hard with himself to summon the
spirit to reply to her; for an instant he raised his head haughti