"Except the amount? Capital! capital!--so exactly like a woman! Except the amount! Of course there's no occasion to lay any stress upon such secondary considerations." And Brandow essayed a laugh which sounded rather hoarse. "Short and good." "Short, for aught I care, and good. Well, I hope you'll take it so. I want twenty-five thousand thalers." "When?" "That's the devil of it. Ten thousand, which I owe the trustees of the convent for arrears of rent, are to be paid to-morrow to the convent treasurer at Sundin; but Sellien, if he comes to-day, would take the money back with him; of course, however, that is only a favor on his part, and would be a convenience on mine--there's no obligation; so to-morrow morning will be time enough for that. The rest--I mean the fifteen thousand--is a debt of honor, which must be paid this evening, if I don't wish to lose Brownlock and my wheat harvest, which I pledged. Between ourselves, they really had designs only upon Brownlock. They, that is, the two Plueggens and Redebas, who fairly pressed me for the money, and then fixed to-day as the last limit of time for payment, because they knew what a strait I am in about my arrears of rent, and hoped, under any circumstances, I should be unable to pay, and then they would have Brownlock. The sneaks, the swindlers! Brownlock, that is worth twice as much as the whole amount--Brownlock, a horse on which I already have fifteen thousand in my betting-book, and which will bring me in thirty thousand as sure as my name is Carl Brandow." He acted as if he had talked himself into a rage, and lashed the air and the tops of his boots with his riding-whip, while his crafty eyes rested steadily upon Gotthold, who still sat motionless at the table, resting his head on his hand. "And I am to procure the money for you? How did you arrange that?" "My plan was something of this kind: my wife told me you wished to leave us to-day; of course I am prodigiously sorry; but you have your reasons, which I respect, although I don't know them; and you will perhaps make use of the carriage I am just going to send to Prora for the Selliens. I'll let Hinrich Scheel, on whom I can depend implicitly, go with you; and Hinrich could then bring back the fifteen thousand with which I must feed my dear guests. You need not pay the money at all; that blameless usurer, your worthy Wollnow, might not count it out. The ten thousand for Sellien can remain there: he can take it himself to-morrow morning, when he will be obliged to pass through Prora again. Just write me a line, or even tell Hinrich that the money will be ready for him at Wollnow's on receipt of my order. Then he could leave the acquittance here, or give it to Wollnow, from whom I can get it whenever I have an opportunity, and the affair is settled." "And suppose Wollnow won't give me the money?" "Won't give it to you? Why, you have fifty thousand in his business." "Not a groschen more than ten." "But Semmel assured me--"