for a few days.

"Your old friend Layton," replied the man, who was familiar with the
story of Layton's recent failure.

"You are not in earnest?" said Grasper, looking serious.

Yes--I have rented it to Layton."

"He has just been broken up root and branch, and can't get credit
for a dollar. How can he go into business?"

"Some friends have assisted him."

"Indeed! I didn't suppose a man in his condition had many friends."

"Oh, yes. An honest man always has friends. Layton is an honest man,
and I would trust him now as freely as before. He has learned wisdom
by experience, and, if ever he gets into difficulties again, will
take good care that no one man gets an undue preference over
another. His recent failure, I am told, was caused by one of his
creditors, who, in the eager desire to get his own, sacrificed a
large amount of property, to the injury of the other creditors."

Grasper did not venture to make any reply to this, lest he should
betray, by his manner, the fact that he was the individual to whom
allusion was made. He need not have been careful on this point, as
the person with whom he was conversing knew very well who was the
grasping creditor.