"Very well," he conceded, "if you insist on our giving no more work to Mappin, I suppose he must be sacrificed, though you place me in an unpleasant position. After all, he's comparatively unimportant; we must talk about the mine. You seem to think it ought to be closed, which is out of the question for the present. You have, no doubt, learned that it often takes time to reach payable ore; all sorts of preliminary difficulties have to be overcome, and investors have frequently to exercise patience and put up with disappointments." "You promised a good dividend in the prospectus." "We didn't promise it on the first six months' working. Besides, one makes allowances for prospectus statements." "It shouldn't be needful where Allinson's is concerned. But what do you suggest?" "That we keep the mine open, and do everything possible to increase the output and strike better ore. In the meanwhile, we won't say too much about our troubles." "When you increase the output you increase expenses. This doesn't matter so long as the refined metal will pay for it, but it's a ruinous policy where the ore's no good. Then, you can't hide our difficulties. The shareholders will expect a dividend, and if it isn't forthcoming they'll demand an explanation at their meeting." "That might be prevented. The family vote could be relied on, and it's often possible to control a meeting and silence objectors. These are matters you can leave to me." "The objectors have a right to be heard; they could be silenced only by trickery. If we have made a mistake, we must admit it and consider how we can cut the loss." "Admit our mistake?" Leonard laughed. "You're talking at random." Andrew leaned forward, his eyes fixed on his brother-in-law. "This Company should never have been floated. We'll let it go at that: the less said upon the point the better. The question is--what is to be done now? Well, I've decided on two things--we'll keep a few men working at the mine, because the yield will cover their wages, while I go into the bush and look for a richer lode I've heard about. If I'm successful, we'll consider the new situation." Seeing that objections would be useless, Leonard reluctantly acquiesced, and it was a relief to both when Wannop came in. "There's a friend of yours asking for you, Andrew; I brought him up," he explained, and stood aside as Frobisher entered. "I came to ask you over for a day or two, and I shall be glad if your relatives will come as well," he said. "We have plenty of room and have been rather dull lately. Besides, the hotel is too full to be comfortable." After some demur they agreed to go, and Andrew felt grateful to Frobisher, for the visit would relieve the strain that Leonard's society threatened to impose on him. Half an hour later they took their places in Frobisher's sleigh. CHAPTER XIII LOVE'S ENCOURAGEMENT