"How—how on earth could I know?" he muttered.
"Well, well, fortunately no harm's done," I said. "What did Honest John Driver say? Bottiger told my sister so much that she may just as well hear what else is happening."
"He congratulated me on my despatch; he nearly burst with joy, and he couldn't find words enough to thank me," said Chelubai.
"That looks good—as though he'd subscribe all right," I said.
"You don't know the alphabet of finance, if you think that," said Chelubai. "I don't like his gratitude at all. I should be far more hopeful of his paying up if he'd run down our work. However, I reminded him of the subscription, and he said it would be all right."
"What will he make out of the removal of Pudleigh?" said Bottiger.
"I don't know. He might make anything between fifteen and thirty thousand pounds," said Chelubai.
"Then surely he won't stick at a couple of thousand," said Bottiger.
"A business man of Honest John Driver's ability would stick at a couple of shillings, if he thought he couldn't be made to pay it."
"Well, then," I said, "we ought to make our plan on the supposition that he won't pay for our
