"I am glad to see you in the flesh. I don't believe in ghosts, of course. But I happened to be in what you call a brown study, and as I had heard you were shot long ago on the llanos you rather startled me, coming in so quietly--that rascally boy ought to have announced you. But I was not afraid--not in the least. Why should one be afraid of a ghost! And I saw at a glance that, as you say, you were in the flesh. I suppose you have come to inquire about your money. It is quite safe, my dear sir, and at your disposal, and you will find that it has materially increased. I will call for the ledger, and you shall see." The ledger was brought in by a business-looking young man, whom the old merchant introduced to me as his nephew and partner, Mynheer Bernhard Van Voorst. "This is Mr. Fortescue, Bernhard," he said, "the English gentleman who was dead--I mean that I thought he was dead, but is alive--and who many years ago left in my hands a sum of about two thousand piasters. Turn to his account and see how much there is now to his credit?" "At the last balance the amount to Mr. Fortescue's credit was six thousand two hundred piasters."[2] [2] At the time in question, "piaster" was a word often used as an equivalent for "dollar," both in the "Gulf ports" and the West Indies. "You see! Did I not say so? Your capital is more than doubled." "More than doubled! How so?" "We have credited you with the colonial rate of interest--ten per cent.--as was only right, seeing that you had no security, and we had used the money in our business; and my friend, compound interest at ten per cent, is a great institution. It beats gold-mining, and is almost as profitable as being President of the Republic of Venezuela. How will you take your balance, Mr. Fortescue? We will have the account made up to date. I can give you half the amount in hard money--coin is not too plentiful just now in Curaçoa, half in drafts at seven days' sight on the house of Goldberg, Van Voorst & Company, at Amsterdam, or Spring & Gerolstein, at London. They are a young firm, but do a safe business and work with a large capital." "I am greatly obliged to you but all I require at present is about five hundred piasters, in hard money." "Ah then, you have made money where you have been?" observed Mr. Van Voorst, eying me keenly through his great horn spectacles. "Not money, but money's worth," I replied, for I had quite decided to make a confident of the honest old Dutchman, whom I liked all the better for going straight to the point without asking too many questions. "Then it must be merchandise and merchandise is money--sometimes." "Yes, it is merchandise." "If it be readily salable in this island or on the Spanish Main we shall be glad to receive it from you on consignment and make you a liberal advance against bills of lading. Hardware and cotton prints are in great demand just now, and if it is anything of that sort we might sell it to arrive."