on the day after his return, Will received from St. Neots a letter
containing a cheque for four thousand pounds! All his own available
capital was already in the hands of Sherwood; a sum not much greater
in amount than that invested by his mother and sister. Sherwood, for
his part, put in sixteen thousand, with regrets that it was all he
had at command just now; before long, he might see his way greatly
to increase their capital, but they had enough for moderate
enterprise in the meanwhile.

Not half an hour after the post which brought him the cheque,
Warburton was surprised by a visit from his friend.

"I thought you wouldn't have left home yet," said Godfrey, with a
nervous laugh. "I had a letter from Applegarth last night, which I
wanted you to see at once."

He handed it, and Will, glancing over the sheet, found only an
unimportant discussion of a small detail.

"Well, that's all right," he said, "but I don't see that it need
have brought you from Wimbledon to Chelsea before nine o'clock in
the morning. Aren't you getting a little overstrung, old man?"

Godfrey looked it. His face was noticeably thinner than a month ago,
and his eyes had a troubled fixity such as comes of intense
preoccupation.

"Daresay I am," he admitted with a show of careless good-humour.
"Can't get much sleep lately."