"Raffles knows all about it," said he. "Seven hundred was the actual
figure. I needn't tell you I have given the bounders a wide berth since
the day I raised the wind; but I went and had it out with them over this.
And half the seven hundred is for default interest, I'll trouble you,
from the beginning of January down to date!"

"Had you agreed to that?"

"Not to my recollection, but there it was as plain as a pikestaff on my
promissory note. A halfpenny in the shilling per week over and above
everything else when the original interest wasn't forthcoming."

"Printed or written on your note of hand?"

"Printed--printed small, I needn't tell you--but quite large enough for
me to read when I signed the cursed bond. In fact I believe I did read
it; but a halfpenny a week! Who could ever believe it would mount up like
that? But it does; it's right enough, and the long and short of it is
that unless I pay up by twelve o'clock to-morrow the governor's to be
called in to say whether he'll pay up for me or see me made a bankrupt
under his nose. Twelve o'clock, when the match begins! Of course they
know that, and are trading on it. Only this evening I had the most
insolent ultimatum, saying it was my 'dead and last chance.'"

"So then you came round here?"

"I was coming in any case. I wish I'd shot myself first!"

"My dear fellow, it was doing me proud; don't let us lose our sense of