"Don’t bother about me. My pay comes in satisfaction! Revenge! Sabe? Now if you’ll do as you’re told, you’ll do more for me than the five continents full o’ men, women, and children ever would do. No, pardner, I’m alone in this world, and that stuff’s no good to me, as I done told you; couldn’t use it nohow; but I’ll damn the society, and every one of ’em as turned a cold shoulder on me, through you. Now, I don’t expect to live to see it, but I’ll die happy, and that’s worth more’n money can buy. Now, don’t ever let your nerve give out; in fact there ain’t no occasion for it, seein’ how much better you ’uns is fixed than I was. Promise you won’t never turn your back on it." "I’ll do my best; no man can do more!" answered Torrence. "And you’ll never regret it!" "I’ve no doubt about my part of the contract," he added, "and can feel but little doubt of all you’ve told me, after the proofs." "That’s right, you’re my man—God bless you, and if ever you——" Here there was a shuffling of feet, and fearing they might be coming into the _salon_, I beat a hasty retreat to my own room. Of course I could form no conception of what they were talking about, and went to bed trying to put meaning into the maze of words. Some days after this, while brooding over our absurd and unfettered prodigality, I resolved to ask Torrence for another and larger check. My object was, as before, to save something out of the whirlwind of our extravagances, fearing my brother’s improvidence. I pretended that there was an investment which I was anxious to make, that would take quite a large sum. Without a word of inquiry he turned with alacrity and said: "Why, certainly! How much?" I began an explanation which partook of the nature of a sermon on the expediency of putting by something for a rainy day, but he cut me short: "Now, my dear fellow, I can’t really stop for the lecture to-day; keep that for to-morrow; but as to the money, why it’s yours anyhow, and you might as well take it now as at any other time. How much did you say?" "Well, I didn’t say exactly, but a good deal would be necessary to do what I thought of doing," I replied. "Since you don’t seem to know exactly how much, take this," he said, "and if it isn’t enough, let me know!" Without another word he sat down and dashed off a check for twenty thousand pounds, and handed it to me. "Here, take it," he said, "it’s only a small payment on account at best. Let me know if you want more." He was off in a second, and left me standing like one petrified with the paper in my hand. I placed the amount to my credit with Whitehouse, Morse & Plunket, and got a friend to identify me as Gurthrie, instead of Torrence, Attlebridge.