“Come, now, Mr. President, that’s plenty of that!  I take back everything I said on that head.  I’m a wiser man to-day than I was yesterday, I can tell you.”

“I think you are.  In fact I am satisfied you are.  But now I showed you these things in confidence, you understand.  Mention facts as much as you want to, but don’t mention names to anybody.  I can depend on you for that, can’t I?”

“Oh, of course.  I understand the necessity of that.  I will not betray the names.  But to go back a bit, it begins to look as if you never saw any of that appropriation at all?”

“We saw nearly ten thousand dollars of it—­and that was all.  Several of us took turns at log-rolling in Washington, and if we had charged anything for that service, none of that $10,000 would ever have reached New York.”

“If you hadn’t levied the assessment you would have been in a close place I judge?”

“Close?  Have you figured up the total of the disbursements I told you of?”

“No, I didn’t think of that.”

“Well, lets see: 

Spent in Washington, say, ........... $191,000
Printing, advertising, etc., say .... $118,000
Charity, say, .......................  $16,000

Total, ............... $325,000

The money to do that with, comes from
--Appropriation, ...................... $200,000

Ten per cent. assessment on capital of
$1,000,000 ..................... $100,000

Total, ............... $300,000

“Which leaves us in debt some $25,000 at this moment.  Salaries of home officers are still going on; also printing and advertising.  Next month will show a state of things!”

“And then—­burst up, I suppose?”

“By no means.  Levy another assessment”

“Oh, I see.  That’s dismal.”

“By no means.”

“Why isn’t it?  What’s the road out?”

“Another appropriation, don’t you see?”

“Bother the appropriations.  They cost more than they come to.”

“Not the next one.  We’ll call for half a million—­get it and go for a million the very next month.”—­“Yes, but the cost of it!”

The president smiled, and patted his secret letters affectionately.  He said: 

“All these people are in the next Congress.  We shan’t have to pay them a cent.  And what is more, they will work like beavers for us—­perhaps it might be to their advantage.”

Harry reflected profoundly a while.  Then he said: 

“We send many missionaries to lift up the benighted races of other lands.  How much cheaper and better it would be if those people could only come here and drink of our civilization at its fountain head.”

“I perfectly agree with you, Mr. Beverly.  Must you go?  Well, good morning.  Look in, when you are passing; and whenever I can give you any information about our affairs and pro’spects, I shall be glad to do it.”