head significantly--"I rather fancy I shall turn up on the
other side."

"I'm a Liberal myself, in English politics," interposed Thorpe.

Plowden seemed not to perceive the connection. They had left
London Bridge behind, and he put his feet up on the cushions,
and leant back comfortably. "Of course there was the City,"
he went on, speaking diagonally across to his companion,
between leisurely intervals of absorption in his cigar.
"There have been some directors' fees, no doubt,
and once or twice I've come very near to what promised
to be a big thing--but I never quite pulled it off.
Really, without capital what can one do?--I'm curious to
know--did you bring much ready money with you to England?"

"Between six and seven thousand pounds."

"And if it's a fair question--how much of it have you
got left?"

Thorpe had some momentary doubts as to whether this
was a fair question, but he smothered them under the
smile with which he felt impelled to answer the twinkle
in Plowden's eyes. "Oh, less than a hundred," he said,
and laughed aloud.

Plowden also laughed. "By George, that's fine!"
he cried. "It's splendid. There's drama in it.
I felt it was like that, you know. Something told me it