Monsieur Lafargue protested; but Nathaniel reared himself up to his gangling height and took one of the old Frenchman's arms in his clutch. "It's no trouble," grinned he, showing his large teeth, with the spaces between. "I'll have you down in a moment." Their steps were still sounding upon the stairs when Amos Bulfinch turned his mild look upon Mr. Sparhawk and then upon Stroude; and a close observer would have noticed that it rested longer and with greater interest upon Stroude. "A trifling matter of business," explained Mr. Sparhawk. "Mr. Stroude desired me to introduce him. You've heard of him, maybe." "Often," said Amos in his sweet voice. "Glass, and crockery, and imported ware in Mulberry Street. A fine, profitable business, very active, and not overcrowded." Stroude was about to answer this, but Sparhawk stopped him. "You are quite right," said Mr. Sparhawk. "It's an excellent business, and prospering. But there come times in mercantile life," with a little gesture of regret, "when ready money must be reckoned with." "That is true, Mr. Sparhawk," said Amos soothingly. "Not a day passes but that is brought home to me." "What would you say," added Mr. Sparhawk, "to loaning Mr. Stroude a matter of three thousand dollars--gold?" "How soon?" asked Amos Bulfinch, looking at Stroude in a most beneficent manner. "To-day," said the merchant. "To-day? Impossible! That is the way with all of them," to Mr. Sparhawk. "They think I have only to pick the money up. What security is there?" Mr. Stroude displayed some documents, which Amos studied minutely. Nathaniel reëntered just then; and he also gave the matter the closest attention. "And what names?" asked the money-lender. "Of course, they must be good ones." Stroude grudgingly mentioned one or two; and father and son shook their heads at each other. "We have them already," said Amos. "A half-dozen times," said Nathaniel. "They won't do." "My people object to the same name so often," said Amos. "They are very strict. And when they object the rate goes up." Stroude writhed at this, and Sparhawk asked: "How high?" The money-lender, who still had Stroude's paper in his hand, folded it one third. "Oh, no," said Sparhawk. "Oh, dear, no!" "There are, besides, interests, costs, and other things," said Amos in his honeyed way. "It is too bad. Maybe your friend had better go somewhere else." "They may treat him better," suggested Nathaniel with disbelief. Stroude's blue nose paled. "But a charge like that!" protested he. "It's monstrous!" "Added to it," said Amos, still fingering the paper, "there are apt to be brokerage charges, besides, there is my small portion to be fixed upon it finally." He folded the paper in two and stood creasing it between thumb and forefinger while Stroude began to choke and to pull at his neck-cloth feebly. "Perhaps you'd better not favor us," said Amos. "We never advise anything."