“Whose?”

“Fancy Tabb’s.”

“She didn’ tell me so when I saw her to-day.”—­(And good reason for why, thought Cai.)—­“Still, if she told you, you may lay there’s some truth in it.  That child don’t speak at random.  I don’t see, though, as it makes much difference, up or down?”

“No difference?”

“I didn’ say ‘no difference.’  I said ‘not much.’  Ruination’s not much to a man already down with a stroke.”

“Oh, . . . him?” said Cai.  “To tell the truth, I wasn’t thinkin’ about Rogers, not at this moment.”

“No?” queried ‘Bias sourly.  “Then maybe I’m doin’ you an injustice.  I thought you might be pushin’ your way in here to suggest our doin’ something for the poor chap.”  Before Cai had well recovered from this, ‘Bias went on, “And if so, I’d have answered you that I didn’ intend to be any such fool.”

“I—­I’m afraid,” owned Cai, “my thought wasn’ anything like so unselfish.  It concerned you and me, rather.”

“Thinkin’ of me, was you?” ’Bias stuffed down the tobacco in his pipe with his forefinger.  “I reckon that’s no game, Caius Hocken, to be takin’ up again after all these months; and I warn you to drop it, for ’tis dangerous.”

Whatever his faults, Cai did not lack courage.  “I don’t care a cuss for threats, as you might know by this time.  What I owe I pay,—­and there’s my trouble.  I introduced you to Rogers, didn’t I?”

“That’s true,” agreed ’Bias slowly.  “What of it?”

“Why, that I’m in a way responsible that you took your affairs to him.”

“Not a bit.”

“But it follows.  Surely you must see—­”

“No, I don’t.  I ain’t a child, and I’ll trouble you not to hang about here suggestin’ it.  I didn’ trust Rogers till I saw for myself he was a good man o’ business and the very sort I wanted.  He sarved me, well enough; and, well or ill, I don’t complain to you.”

“See here, ’Bias,” said Cai desperately.  “You may take this tone with me if you choose.  But you don’t choke me off by it, and you’ll have to drop it sooner or later.  I was your friend, back along—­let’s start with that.”

“And a nice friend you proved!”

“Let’s start with that, then,” pursued Cai eagerly—­so eagerly that ’Bias stared willy-nilly, lifting his eye-brows.  “Put it, if you please, that I was your friend and misled you to trust in Rogers, that you lost money by it—­”

“Who said so?”

“I say so.  Put it at the lowest—­that you sunk a hundred pound’ in the Saltypool—­”

“Eh?”

“In the Saltypool—­” Cai met his stare and nodded.  “And not your own money, neither.  Mrs Bosenna—­”

’Bias started and laid down his pipe.  “Drop that!” he interjected with a growl.

“Nay, you don’t frighten me,” answered Cai valiantly.  “We’re goin’ to talk a lot of Mrs Bosenna, afore we’ve done.  Present point is, she gave you a hundred pound, to invest for her.  She gave me the like.”