"  And  I  have  forty-eight  hours  ?  "

"That's  what  I  said."

When  he  left  the  manager's  office,  Jack  was  no  nearer
a  solution  of  the  question  than  before.  During  the  after
noon,  while  he  was  busy  in  his  office,  his  mind  reverted
to  Steve's  case ;  and  he  carried  it,  still  unsolved,  to  his
lonely  dinner  at  a  restaurant.  Should  he  pay  ?  Could


THE  HEAL  WORLD  271

he  pay?  He  could  get  the  money.  His  firm  would
advance  him  something,  Stevenson  would  lend  him
some  more,  and  he  had  a  few  hundreds  of  dollars  in
the  bank.  It  would  be  placing  a  very  large  mortgage
on  his  life,  one  that  would  weight  him  heavily  just  now,
when  he  needed  every  sinew  for  the  mad  struggle  in
New  York.  Moreover,  it  would  make  it  impossible  for
him  to  do  what  he  planned  for  Mary,  for  his  mother,
who  were  more  or  less  discontented  in  their  position  at
Coffin's  Falls.  Of  course  he  knew  what  their  wish  would
be  —  anything  to  save  Steve,  to  save  the  family  disgrace.
He  came  to  this  theme  with  his  coffee,  and  pondered
while  he  sipped  it  and  watched  the  people  around  him.
