At last she came to Turkish six per
cents.
"Eighty-seven to eighty-eight and a quarter."
"Ha!" muttered the old man, "that's an advance! good! nothing to be done
there yet. Now read the railway stocks."
Katherine obeyed. When she came to "Florida and Teche debentures,
sixty-two and a half to sixty-five and three-fourths," she was startled
by a sort of shrill shout. "Ay! _that's_ a rise! Some rigging design
there! I must write--I must. Where, where has that----harridan hid my
glasses? Why, it is almost twelve o'clock! the boy will be here for the
paper immediately. And the post! the post! I must catch the post. Can
you write?"
"Oh yes! Shall I write for you?"
"You shall! you shall! here's paper"--rising and opening an ancient
blotting-book, its covers all scribbled over with tiny figures, the
result of much calculating, he hastily set forth writing materials, his
lean, claw-like, dirty hands trembling with eagerness. "Hear, hear,
write fast."
Katherine, growing a little clearer, and amazed at her own increasing
self-possession, drew off her gloves, and taking the rusty pen offered
her, wrote at his dictation:
"_To Messrs. Rogers & Stokes, Corbett Court, E. C._:
"GENTLEMEN,--Sell all my Florida shares if possible to-day,
even if they decline a quarter.
Pages:
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48