“There doesn’t seem to be any danger of that,” argued Courtney, looking worried, nevertheless.  “He was able to show me an extremely clean bill of health.  The only drawback I could find in his record was the payment of some debts which were not rightly his and which he might have evaded.”

“Did he refer you to the Fourth National Bank?” inquired Gresham quietly.

“No.  Say, Gresham, what have you up your sleeve?  Gamble paid me fifteen thousand dollars this morning, as per agreement.  I would scarcely think he would risk that much money on a bluff.”

“He paid you the fifteen thousand, then?” said Gresham with a smile.  “Mr. Courtney, one does not like to mix in these affairs; but you and my father were friends and, though I regret to do so, I feel it my duty to advise you to call up the Fourth National Bank.”

“Thanks!” gratefully acknowledged Courtney, and hurried down to the telephone booth.  He came back in a few moments, and his manner was distinctly cool.  “I ’phoned to Mr. Close,” he stated.  “He tells me that an attachment was laid against Mr. Gamble’s account at his bank yesterday for fifteen thousand dollars, and was returned to the server marked ‘no funds’; but that this morning the executor of Mr. Gamble’s interests in the Gamble-Collaton Irrigation Company deposited fifteen thousand dollars for the specific purpose of meeting this attachment.  Mr. Close informs me that, though he could not, of course, guarantee Mr. Gamble’s solvency, he would take Mr. Gamble’s unsupported word on any proposition.  I have known Joe Close for years, and I never knew him to be so enthusiastic about any man who possessed no negotiable securities.  I thank you for your well-intentioned interference in my behalf, Mr. Gresham, but I think I shall cling to Mr. Gamble nevertheless.”

“I certainly should if I were in your place,” Gresham hastily assured him with such heartiness as he could assume.  “I am delighted to learn that the rumor I heard of Mr. Gamble’s insolvency is unfounded.”

“By the way, where did you hear the rumor?” inquired Courtney with a frown.

“Really, I’ve forgotten,” Gresham confessed.

“One should not forget such things if one repeats such rumors,” Courtney reproved him.

Gresham went away both puzzled and annoyed.  It was three o’clock before he found Collaton; and that featureless young man, whose lack of visible eyebrows and lashes was a constant annoyance to the fastidious Gresham, was in a high state of elation.

“Well, we get back your fifteen thousand,” he exulted after they were safely in Gresham’s apartments.  “Of course Jacobs gets five thousand for engineering the deal, but that gives us five thousand apiece.  Jacobs was told—­about eleven o’clock—­that the money was there.”

“Keep my share; but why didn’t you send me word?” snarled Gresham.  “I nearly put my foot in it by having a man with whom Gamble is doing business inquire about him at the Fourth National.  In place of injuring his credit, we’ve strengthened it.”