Raffles was following intently, with that complete concentration which was a signal force in his equipment. His face no longer changed at anything he heard; it was as strenuously attentive as that of any judge upon the bench. Never had I clearer vision of the man he might have been but for the kink in his nature which had made him what he was. "The promissory note was for four-fifty-six," said he, "and this sudden demand was for the lot less the hundred you had paid?" "That's it." "What did you do?" I asked, not to seem behind Raffles in my grasp of the case. "Told them to take my instalment or go to blazes for the rest!" "And they?" "Absolutely drop the whole thing until this very week, and then come down on me for--what do you suppose?" "Getting on for a thousand," said Raffles after a moment's thought. "Nonsense!" I cried. Garland looked astonished too. "Raffles knows all about it," said he. "Seven hundred was the actual figure. I needn't tell you I have given the bounders a wide berth since the day I raised the wind; but I went and had it out with them over this. And half the seven hundred is for default interest, I'll trouble you, from the beginning of January down to date!" "Had you agreed to that?" "Not to my recollection, but there it was as plain as a pikestaff on my promissory note. A halfpenny in the shilling per week over and above everything else when the original interest wasn't forthcoming." "Printed or written on your note of hand?" "Printed--printed small, I needn't tell you--but quite large enough for me to read when I signed the cursed bond. In fact I believe I did read it; but a halfpenny a week! Who could ever believe it would mount up like that? But it does; it's right enough, and the long and short of it is that unless I pay up by twelve o'clock to-morrow the governor's to be called in to say whether he'll pay up for me or see me made a bankrupt under his nose. Twelve o'clock, when the match begins! Of course they know that, and are trading on it. Only this evening I had the most insolent ultimatum, saying it was my 'dead and last chance.'" "So then you came round here?" "I was coming in any case. I wish I'd shot myself first!" "My dear fellow, it was doing me proud; don't let us lose our sense of proportion, Teddy."