Alton laid down his cigar.  “It seems to me that we are taking a liberty in discussing Miss Deringham’s affairs,” he said dryly.

“Well,” said Forel, with a little smile, “you have a good deal to tell me.”

Alton nodded.  “I went back to the mine after Damer’s death,” he said.  “Got there just before sun up, and we had our stakes in before Hallam’s men quite realized what we were after.  Of course there was a circus, but we had expected it and fixed things accordingly.  Hallam’s men went out and I came down to see the Crown people in Victoria.  Two or three of the others, however, called on the nearest recorder’s at the same time as me.  We came down in the same cars, you see.”

“Have we any chance at all?” said Forel.

Alton smiled dryly.  “I left Okanagan and Seaforth with enough of the boys to hold the claim sitting tight,” he said.  “Talked to the chiefs in Victoria, and showed them Damer’s testimony.  They told me that nobody had a patent, and that everything that had been done was informal, and because they would probably have to submit the case to Ottawa it would take time for them to come to a decision.  And now for Somasco.  The new mill’s finished, but it has got to live on the local demand, and just now there isn’t any.  We’re half through with the desiccatory, but as it seems the Government will not make us roads, the California people with their cheap transport will beat us easily.  I’ve got thirty men chopping out a new trail one could haul a loaded wagon on, and don’t quite know how to pay them.  We’ve raised a piece of the cannery, but for want of dollars don’t go on, and, to put it straight, unless that railroad comes in, Somasco will be busted when the loans come due.”

“Well,” said Forel, “I’ve some news for you.  One of my clients who seems to think a good deal of the future of Somasco offers dollars enough to help you considerably—­in fact, half as much again as you were asking for lately.”

Alton’s face brightened, and then grew clouded again.  “The other folks have security, and as I don’t know that we have anything we could offer this one, I’m not sure it would be square,” he said.

“The dollars,” said Forel, “are now in my hands, and I fancy that if you will go through the books with me tomorrow we can find something that would figure as security.  In fact, the lender left me a tolerably wide discretion and would almost as soon I sank the dollars to take a share of the profits as put them out on loan.”

Alton appeared astonished.  “Considering our present credit, that is somewhat curious.”

“There it is, anyway,” said Forel, smiling.  “There are, it seems, still people who believe in Somasco and you, but we’ll see what we can fix up to-morrow.”

Alton stood up and straightened himself to his full height, while his voice trembled a little as he said, “Then I think whoever it is is going to save us yet.”