'The chief fault I find with you, Kenyon,' said Longworth, throwing one leg over the other, and clasping his hands round his knee--'the chief fault I have to find is your painful lack of a sense of humour. Now, you remember last night I offered you the managership of the mine. I thought, certainly, that by this time to-day I should be owner of it, or, at least, one of the owners. Now, you don't appear to appreciate the funniness of the situation. Here you are the owner of the mine, and I am out in the cold--"left," as they say here in America. I am the man who is left----' 'If that is all you have to talk about,' said Kenyon gravely, 'I must ask you to allow me to go on with my packing. I am going to the mine to-morrow.' 'Certainly, my dear fellow; go at once and never mind me. Can I be of any assistance to you? It requires a special genius, you know, to pack a portmanteau properly. But what I wanted to say was this: Why didn't you turn round, when you had got the mine, and offer _me_ the managership of it? Then you would have had your revenge. The more I think of that episode in Von Brent's office, the more I think you utterly failed to realize the dramatic possibilities of the situation.' Kenyon was silent. 'Now, all this time you are wondering why I came here. Doubtless you wish to know what I want.' 'I have not the slightest interest in the matter,' said Kenyon. 'That is ungracious, but, nevertheless, I will continue. It is better, I see, to be honest with you, if a man wants to get anything from you. Now, I want to get a bit of information from you. I want to know where you got the money with which you bought the mine?' 'I got it from the bank.' 'Ah, yes, but I want to know who sent it over to you?' 'It was sent to me by George Wentworth.' 'Quite so; but _now_ I want to know who gave Wentworth the money?' 'You will have a chance of finding that out when you go to England, by asking him.' 'Then you won't tell me?' 'I can't tell you.' 'You mean by that, of course, that you won't.' 'I always mean, Mr. Longworth, exactly what I say. I mean that I can't tell you. I don't know myself.' 'Really?' 'Yes, really. You seem to have some difficulty in believing that anybody can speak the truth.' 'Well, it isn't a common vice, speaking the truth. You must forgive a little surprise.' He nursed his knee for a moment, and looked meditatively up at the ceiling. 'Now, would you like to know who furnished that money?' 'I have no curiosity in the matter whatever.' 'Have you not? You are a singular man. It seems to me that a person into whose lap twenty thousand pounds drops from the skies would have some little curiosity to know from whom the money came.' 'I haven't the slightest.'