That blow was too straight--too heavy to be resisted. Hallam dropped back in his chair; while James Thickens, at his desk behind the bank counter, heard the shock, and then fidgeted in his seat, and rubbed his right ear, as he heard Hallam speak of him in a low voice, and say hoarsely: "Thickens, then, has told you this?" "Yes," said Bayle in a lower tone. "He came to me for advice, and I bade him do his duty." "Hah!" said Hallam, and his eyes wandered about the room. "This morning I begged him to wait." "Hah!" ejaculated Hallam again, and now there was a sharp twitching about his closely-shaven lips. "And you said that you came as our friend?" "I did." "What do you mean?" Bayle waited for a few moments, and then said slowly: "If you will redeem those deeds with which you have been entrusted, and go from here, and commence a new career of honesty, I will, for your wife and child's sake, find the necessary money." "You will? You will do this, Bayle?" cried Hallam, extending his hands, which were not taken. "I have told you I will," said Bayle coldly. "But--the amount?" "How many thousands are they pledged for?--to some bank, of course?" "It was to cover an unfortunate speculation. I--" "I do not ask you for explanations," said Bayle coldly. "What amount will clear your defalcations?" "Twenty to twenty-one thousand," said Hallam, watching the effect of his words. "I will find the money within a week," said Bayle. "Then all will be kept quiet?" "Sir Gordon must be told." "No, no; there is no need of that. The affairs will be put straight, and matters can go on as before. It was an accident; I could not help it. Stop, man, what are you going to do?" "Call in Mr Thickens," said Bayle. "To expose and degrade me in his eyes!" Bayle turned upon him a withering contemptuous look. "I expose you? Why, man, but for me you would have been in the hands of the officers by now. Mr Thickens!" Thickens got slowly down from his stool and entered the manager's room, where Hallam met his eye with a look that made the clerk think of what would have been his chances of life had opportunity served for him to be silenced for ever. "I have promised Mr Hallam to find twenty-one thousand pounds within a week--to enable him to redeem the securities he has pledged." "And under these circumstances, Mr Thickens, there is no need for this trouble to be exposed." "Not to the public perhaps," said Thickens slowly, "but Sir Gordon and Mr Dixon ought to know." "No, no," cried Hallam, "there is no need. Don't you see, man, that the money will be made right?" "No, sir, I only see one thing," said Thickens sturdily, "and that is that I have my duty to do." "But you will ruin me, Thickens." "You've ruined yourself, Mr Hallam; I've waited too long." "Stop, Mr Thickens," said Bayle. "I pay this heavy sum of money to save Mr Hallam from utter ruin. The bank will be the gainer by twenty thousand pounds."