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'What has becoent into it'

'Is not that dangerous? What check have you on him?'

'He pays us a fixed su as this on hand a tru of'

'You haven't sold it?'

'Well;--no But we've arranged a price for a sale'

'You haven't taken the money for it?'

'Well;--yes; we have We've raised money on it, you know You see you weren't there, and so the two resident partners acted for the firo with us You had indeed'

'And about my own income?'

'That's a flea-bite When we've got a little ahead with this it won't matter, sir, whether you spend twenty thousand or forty thousand dollars a year We've got the concession froh the territories, and we're in correspondence with the President of the Mexican Republic I've no doubt we've an office open already in Mexico and another at Vera Cruz'

'Where's the money to come from?'

'Money to come from, sir? Where do you suppose the s? If we can float the shares, the h We hold three million dollars of the stock ourselves'

'Six hundred thousand pounds!' said Montague

'We take them at par, of course,--and as we sell we shall pay for them But of course we shall only sell at a premium If we can run them up even to 110, there would be three hundred thousand dollars But we'll do better than that I must try and see Melmotte at once You had better write a letter now'

'I don't know the n it' Whereupon Mr Fisker did write the following letter:-Langham Hotel, London March 4, 18--

DEAR SIR I have the pleasure of inforue, and Montague, of San Francisco,--is now in London with the view of allowing British capitalists to assist in carrying out perhaps the greatest work of the age,--namely, the South Central Pacific and Mexican Railhich is to give direct communication between San Francisco and the Gulf of Mexico He is very anxious to see you upon his arrival, as he is aware that your co-operation would be desirable We feel assured that with your nificence of the enterprise If you will name a day and an hour, Mr Fisker will call upon you