Between ourselves, there's a fortune in it, and we want to keep it
among our friends."
He drew a dummy prospectus from his vest pocket and began a long-winded
recital of some figures in which I was not particularly interested. Mr.
Bundercombe, however, appeared to be greatly impressed by what he heard.
"Gentlemen," he said, "there's just one little thing: American business
methods and English are different in one respect. In my country we've got
a sort of official guide that tells us exactly whom we are dealing with
and what their means are. Now I know you are good fellows and it seems to
me I'll be glad to go into this little affair with you; but we are
strangers financially, aren't we? Now if you were Americans I should say
to you: 'What's your rating?' and you'd tell me, because you'd know that I
could look it up in a business guide in ten minutes."
"Perfectly sound," Mr. Harding admitted--"perfectly! Neither my partner
nor I have anything to conceal. Last Christmas we were worth just over
sixty thousand pounds and since then we've made a bit."
"You've no other partner?" Mr. Bundercombe inquired.
"Certainly not!" Mr. Harding replied.
"Then what about our friend Stanley?" Mr. Bundercombe asked quietly.
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