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"The Riddle of the Frozen Flame"

.. Well, if I
must--I must. But it's a loathsome job at best.... There was a woman whom
my father--kept. When he died he left her two thousand pounds in his
will, and he hadn't two thousand pounds to leave when his debts were
cleared up. We--we had to face things. Paid everything off, and all that,
and then, at the last gasp, that woman came and claimed the money. The
lawyer said she was within her rights, we'd have to fork out. And I
couldn't lay my hands upon the amount just then, because it had taken
pretty nearly all we had to clear the debts off."
"So you borrowed from Mr. Wynne?"
"Yes, I borrowed from Dacre Wynne. I'd sooner have cut my right hand off
than have done it, but I knew Merriton was going to be married, and I
wouldn't saddle him with my bills. Don't look at me like that, Nigel, old
chap, you know I _couldn't_! Tony West has only enough for himself, and I
didn't want to go to loan sharks. So the mater suggested Dacre Wynne. I
went to him, in her name, and ate the dust. It was beastly--but he
promised to stump up.


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