"And I presume, as a business man, you would count a bird in the hand worth several in the bush--in other words, you would sooner have what he has stowed away--somewhere, than what he hopes to make some time--" "Sight sooner!" "Then, I should say, offer him such assistance as he needs to get away, and, if you can see your way to it, a bit to live on afterwards, on condition of his placing in your hands everything he has got stowed away, so that you can pass it on to the receiver." Charles shook his head. "I couldn't trust him." "Then there's only one thing to do if he agrees, and that is to go with him and bring the property back with you." Charles groaned. "It may mean the Argentine. Spain's no place for investments these days." "It's rough on you, old man, but it's the best I can think of," said Graeme. "And supposing he tells me to go hang?" "Then," said Graeme, with a shrug, "I don't see that you can help him. I have no personal feeling against him whatever, but I cannot see how you can help him except on some such lines as I've indicated. How does it strike you, Meg?" But Margaret shook her head. "I feel very much as you do. If he is caught and punished it will only add to Mrs. Pixley's and Charles's trouble, and benefit nobody. But he is very obstinate. He has evidently planned out his future. I doubt if he'll turn from it." "And you, Hennie?" asked Graeme. "I think you should help him if you possibly can. It's horrible to think of him hiding there and in fear of being caught--" "Helping him in any case is against the law--" "Blood is thicker than water," said Hennie Penny earnestly. "--But if some present benefit was to come to his creditors I should consider it right to do it, not otherwise." "Suppose you go across, and see him, and talk it over with him, Mr. Pixley?" said Hennie Penny. "I suppose that's the only thing to be done," groaned Charles. "How do you get there?" "The _Courier_ would call here by arrangement--up at the Eperquerie," said Graeme. "She can't come in, of course. It means lying out in a small boat and waiting for her. What do you say to us all going? In fact, unless we do, how are we going to explain Charles's going to Mrs. Pixley?" Charles nodded. "You could go and see him and we could talk it over again afterwards. I'm inclined to think that he won't accept, you know." "I don't believe he will, and it'll be a bit hard to refuse him any help, if he really is on his beam ends." "He wouldn't have written to you if he could have done without, you may count upon that." "Is he as safe there as he seems to think?" asked Charles. "Yes, I think so. Safer probably than in Cherbourg. It's an out-of-the-way place, from all accounts." Discuss it as they would, they could not get beyond Graeme's proposal, and so at last they went back home, decided on the visit to Alderney on the morrow, but all feeling doubtful, and some of them distinctly nervous, as to the outcome of it. IX