Page:A Wild-Goose Chase - Balmer - 1915.djvu/61

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THE BARGAIN MADE
47

coldly. "Nor can any one else. How are you going to get your ship?" he inquired.

"I can raise the money."

"Where?"

"I can promise my income to some one who'll give me what I need!"

"No, you can't," Latham denied. "You must excuse me, Margaret, but I've got to be plain and sensible to stop you from this foolishness. I know your circumstances, of course. You've a good income, you and Geoff; but it's an income which your father left in trust, as I understand it, as an income. You can't touch a penny of the principal, either of you; you can't assign it or borrow money on it any way. No note you'd give assigning an income from it to any one would be legal. Those are the conditions of the trust. It's almost as if your father foresaw some such plan as you propose, and was determined to prevent it. You can't borrow even a fraction of the money you would need to fit out an Arctic expedition."

"And you've already struck Cousin Clara, haven't you?" Geoff guessed. "I wager she gave you an answer!"