STERLING. [In enormous relief, greets him joyfully.] Ned, what do you think!  The greatest news going!

BLANCHE.  Dick!

STERLING.  Excuse me, Blanche, I forgot; but Ned will know how I can’t help being glad.

[WARDEN goes to MRS. STERLING.

BLANCHE. [Shaking NED’S hand.] And Mr. Warden knows nothing could make me “glad” to-day.  Thank you for all your kindness—­

WARDEN.  Don’t thank me; it was nothing.

BLANCHE.  Yes, please let me thank you all I can; it won’t be half what I feel, but I want to know that you know even my silence is full of gratitude for all you’ve done for my mother, sisters, and me.

STERLING.  Yes, we’re all immensely indebted to you, Ned, old man.

BLANCHE.  I will tell mother.  I know she wants to see you.

[She goes out Right.

STERLING. [Speaking with suppressed excitement and uncontrollable gladness, unable to keep it back any longer.] Ned, my wife’s aunt, Miss Hunter, has put all her business in my hands.

WARDEN.  Made you her agent?

STERLING.  Yes!  What a godsend!  Hunter didn’t leave a cent.

[A moment’s pause of astonishment.]

WARDEN.  What do you mean?

STERLING.  It seems he’s been losing for a long time.  Everything he had he lost in the copper crash.

WARDEN.  But this is awful!  What will Mrs. Hunter and her two young daughters do?

STERLING.  I don’t know.  I hadn’t thought of that.

WARDEN.  You’ll have to think of it.

STERLING.  I?

WARDEN.  Of course you’ll have to help them.

STERLING.  I can’t!  Look here, I didn’t tell you the truth about my affairs last week, when I struck you for that loan.

WARDEN.  You don’t mean to say you weren’t straight with me?

STERLING.  Oh, I only didn’t want to frighten you till I’d got the money; if you had made me the loan, I’d have owned up afterwards all right enough.

WARDEN.  Owned up what?

STERLING.  That I told you a pack of lies—­that I haven’t any security!—­that I haven’t anything but debts.

WARDEN. [Strongly.] Good things to borrow on!  Look here, Dick, how long have we been friends?

STERLING.  Since that day at boarding school when you took a licking for something I did.

WARDEN.  What I mean is we were pals at school, chums at college, stanch friends for twenty years.

STERLING.  Hell!  Are we as old as all that?

WARDEN.  Inseparable friends till the last two years.

[STERLING’S eyes shift.

STERLING.  I’ve been overworked lately, and everything has gone wrong!

WARDEN. [Comes up to him, and speaks firmly but still friendly.] You yourself have gone wrong!

STERLING. [On the defensive.] What do you mean?