"I am not connected with it--at least, not definitely connected with it.
I have the matter under consideration. Of course, if there is anything approaching a swindle in it, I shall have nothing to do with it. It will depend largely on the figures that the two men show me whether I have anything to do with it or not."
"I see; I understand your position." Then, lowering his voice, Melville leaned over towards Longworth, and said: "You are a man of business. Now, I want to ask you what would be the chance of our getting the mine at something like the original option priced which is, of course, very much less than two hundred thousand pounds? We do not want to have too many in it. In fact, if you could get it for us at a reasonable rate, and did not care to be troubled with the property yourself, we would take the whole ourselves."
Young Longworth pondered a moment, and then said to Melville:
"Do you mean to freeze out the other two fellows, as they say in America?"
"I do not know about freezing out; but, of course, with the other two there is so much less profit to be divided. We should like to deal with just as few as if possible."
"Exactly. I see what you mean. I think it can be done. Are you in any great hurry to secure the mine?"
"Not particularly. Why?"
"Well, if things are worked rightly, I don"t know but what we could get it for the original option. That would mean, of course, to wait until this first option had run out."
"Wouldn"t there be a little danger in that? They may form their company in the meantime, and then we should lose everything. Our interest in the matter is as much to prevent anyone else getting hold of the mine as to get it ourselves."
"I see. I will think it over. I believe it can be done without great risk; but, of course, we shall have to be reasonably quiet about the matter."
"I see the necessity of that."
"Very good. I will see you again after I have thought over the affair, and we can come to some arrangement."
"I may say that our manager has written a note to Wentworth, saying that this mineral is of no particular use to us."
"Exactly," said young Longworth, with a look of intelligence.
"So, of course, in speaking with Wentworth about the mine, it is just as well not to mention us in any way."
"I shall not."
"Very well. I will leave the matter in your hands for the present."
"Yes, do so. I will think over it this afternoon, and probably see Wentworth and Kenyon to-morrow. There is no immediate hurry, for I happen to know they have not done anything yet."
With that Mr. Melville took his leave, and young Longworth paced up and down the room, evolving a plan that would at once bring him money and give him the satisfaction of making it lively for John Kenyon.
When he reached home, Longworth waited for his cousin to say something about Kenyon; but he soon saw that she did not intend to speak of him at all. So he said to her:
"Edith, do you remember Kenyon and Wentworth--who were on board our steamer?"
"I remember them very well."
"Did you know they had a mining property for sale?"
"Yes."
"I have been thinking about it--in fact, Kenyon called at my office a day or two ago, and at that time, not having given the subject much thought, I could not give him any encouragement; but I have been pondering over it since, and have almost decided to help them. What do you think about it?"
"Oh, I think it would be an excellent plan. I am sure the property is a good one, or Mr. Kenyon would have nothing to do with it. I shall write a note to them, if you think it advisable, inviting them here to talk with you about it."
"That will not be necessary at all. I do not want people to come here to talk business. My office is the proper place."
"Still, we met them in a friendly way on board the steamer, and I think it would be nice if they came here some evening and talked over the matter with you."
"I don"t believe in introducing business into a man"s home. This would be a purely business conversation, and it may as well take place at my office, or at Wentworth"s, if he has one, as I suppose he has."
"Oh, certainly; his address is----"
"Oh, you know it, do you?"
Edith blushed as she realized what she had said; then she remarked:
"Is there any harm in my knowing the business address of Mr. Wentworth?"
"Oh, not at all--not at all. I merely wondered how you happened to know his address, when I didn"t."
"Well, it doesn"t matter how I know it. I am glad you are going to join him, and I am sure you will be successful. Will you see them to-morrow?"
"I think so. I shall call on Wentworth and have a talk with him about it.
Of course we may not be able to come to a workable arrangement. If not, it really does not matter very much. But if I can make satisfactory terms with them, I will help them to form their company."
When Edith went to her own room she wrote a note. It was addressed to George Wentworth in the City, but above that address was the name John Kenyon. She said:
"DEAR MR. KENYON,
"I was certain at the time you spoke that my cousin was not so much at fault in forgetting his conversation as you thought. We had a talk to night about the mine, and when he calls upon you tomorrow, as he intends to do, I want you to know that I said nothing whatever to him of what you told me. He mentioned the subject first. I wanted you to know this because you might feel embarra.s.sed when you met him by thinking I had sent him to you. That is not at all the case. He goes to you of his own accord, and I am sure you will find his a.s.sistance in forming a company very valuable. I am glad to think you will be partners.
"Yours very truly,
"EDITH LONGWORTH."
She gave this letter to her maid to post, and young Longworth met the maid in the hall with the letter in her hand. He somehow suspected, after the foregoing conversation, to whom the letter was addressed.
"Where are you going with that?"
"To the post, sir."
"I am going out; to save you the trouble I will take it."
After pa.s.sing the corner, he looked at the address on the envelope; then he swore to himself a little. If he had been a villain in a play he would have opened the letter; but he did not. He merely dropped it into the first pillar-box he came to, and in due time it reached John Kenyon.
CHAPTER XX.