“You know how it was done!” The wondering exclamation forced itself from Thorpe's unready lips. He bent forward a little, and took a new visual hold, as it were, of his companion's countenance. Lord Plowden smiled. “Did you think I was such a hopeless duffer, then?” he rejoined. For answer, Thorpe leant back in his chair, crossed his legs, and patted his knee contentedly. All at once his face had lightened; a genial speculation returned to his grey eyes. “Well, I was in a curious position about you, you see,” he began to explain. The relief with which he spoke was palpable. “I could not for the life of me make up my mind whether to tell you about it or not. Let's see--this is Thursday; did I see you Tuesday? At any rate, the scheme didn't dawn on me myself until toward evening Tuesday. But yesterday, of course, I could have told you--and again this afternoon--but, as I say, I couldn't make up my mind. Once I had it on the tip of my tongue--but somehow I didn't. And you--you never gave me a hint that you saw what was going on.” Again Lord Plowden smiled. “I voted with you,” he put in softly. Thorpe laughed, and relit his cigar. “Well, I couldn't have asked anything better than this,” he declared once again. “It beats all the rest put together, to my mind.” “Perhaps I don't quite follow your meaning,” commented the other tentatively. “Why man,” Thorpe explained, hesitating a little in his choice of words, but speaking with evident fervour; “I was more anxious about you--and the way you'd take it--than about anything else. I give you my word I was. I couldn't tell at all how you'd feel about the thing. You might think that it was all right, and then again you might round on me--or no, I don't mean quite that--but you might say it wasn't good enough for you, and wash your hands of the whole affair. And I can't tell you what a relief it is to find that you--that you're satisfied. Now I can go ahead.” “Ah, yes--ahead,” said the younger man, thoughtfully. “Do you mind telling me--you see I'm quite in the dark as to details--how much further ahead we are likely to go? I comprehend the general nature of our advance--but how far off is the goal you have in sight?” “God knows!” answered Thorpe, with a rising thrill of excitement in his voice. “I don't give it any limit. I don't see why we should stop at all. We've got them in such a position that--why, good heavens! we can squeeze them to death, crush them like quartz.” He chuckled grimly at the suggestion of his simile. “We'll get more ounces to the ton out of our crushings than they ever heard of on the Rand, too.” “Might I ask,” interposed the other, “who may 'they' be?”