questions, as you, Mr. Brookes, will be the first to see."

Mr. Brookes had begun to anger; he would have liked to have answered
that such a discussion was altogether premature, but he yielded before
Berkins's authoritative manner, and he replied instead that he would
be glad indeed to hear whatever proposal Mr. Berkins had to make.

"I should like to say, then--I will assume that we stand as man to
man, equal; you have probably more money invested than I; I am making
possibly a larger income--you will forgive me if I am mistaken, but
you told me the other day as we went up in the train that you had had
a very bad year."

"Three thousand dead loss. It does not matter so much to me, my money
is invested, but it would have gone hard with many a man who was
relying on his business. Three thousand pounds dead loss!"

"How was that? I suppose the temperance societies affect you; they
must have had a great effect on the sale of liquor."

"No one who was not in the trade would believe in the falling off in
the quantity of whisky drunk. But it was not that."

"What then?"

"Trade generally, trade depression affects every one; the failure of
one makes bad debts for the other. It was bad debts that did it. It
was very stupid of me, but I was worried at home: those fortune-
hunters from the villas--my daughters are very young, and since their
poor mother died they have had no one to look after them. Willy, too,