He snatched it from her, and pointed out the part he wished to hear.
"Read from the beginning," he said.

Katherine obeyed, her courage returning as she found herself thus
strangely installed within the fortress she feared to attack. She
stumbled occasionally, and was sharply set upon her feet, in the matter
of figures, by her eager hearer. At last she came to Turkish six per
cents.

"Eighty-seven to eighty-eight and a quarter."

"Ha!" muttered the old man, "that's an advance! good! nothing to be done
there yet. Now read the railway stocks."

Katherine obeyed. When she came to "Florida and Teche debentures,
sixty-two and a half to sixty-five and three-fourths," she was startled
by a sort of shrill shout. "Ay! _that's_ a rise! Some rigging design
there! I must write--I must. Where, where has that----harridan hid my
glasses? Why, it is almost twelve o'clock! the boy will be here for the
paper immediately. And the post! the post! I must catch the post. Can
you write?"

"Oh yes! Shall I write for you?"

"You shall! you shall! here's paper"--rising and opening an ancient
blotting-book, its covers all scribbled over with tiny figures, the
result of much calculating, he hastily set forth writing materials, his
lean, claw-like, dirty hands trembling with eagerness. "Hear, hear,
write fast."