"Nothink like it," said Boone earnestly. "I've slaved night and day, an' done my best, but luck's again' me." "Ah, that's 'cause you've bin faint-hearted in time past; you're goin' to be bold in time to come, my good fellow; you'll have to be bold, you will. Come, I'll explain how. But first, let me ask how much you think the stock is worth." "Not much above fifty pounds." "Hum! it looks like more." "That's true, an' the people about think it's worth two or three hundred, for you see I have a lot o' cheap jewellery, and some of the inquisitive ones have been trying to pump me of late. They all think I'm thriving," said Boone, shaking his head sorrowfully. "So you are, so you are, man," said Gorman jocosely, "and you're going to make your fortune soon, and so am I, though at present I'm poor enough. However, that don't matter. Here's your course for the future, which you're to steer by. You'll go an' begin chatting with your neighbours at odd times, and your conversation, curiously enough, will always be about the times bein' better than usual, an' about the approach of Christmas, an' the stock you mean to lay in against that festive season. After that you'll lay in the stock--fifty pounds' worth; and it won't be sham; it'll be real--" "But where is the money to come from?" asked Boone. "Oh, don't you trouble about the money; I'll provide that. I've a curious power of raisin' the wind on easy terms. Fifty pounds' worth of real goods will be bought by you, my thriving shopman, and you'll let some of the neighbours, partiklerly these same inquisitive 'uns, see the goods and some of the invoices, and you'll tell them that you've laid in 150 pounds worth of stock, and that you think of layin' in more. On the strength of the press o' business you'll get another shop-lad, and you'll keep 'em employed a good deal goin' messages, so that they won't get to know much about the state o' things, and I'll take care to send you a rare lot o' customers, who'll come pretty often for small purchases, and give the shop an uncommon thrivin' look. Oh, we'll make a splendid appearance of doin' business, and we'll have lots of witnesses ready to bother these sharp lawyers if need be--won't we, Boone?" Poor Boone, whose colour had not yet improved much, smiled in a ghastly way, but said nothing.