your head down; and a good deal of fussing I've listened to, that you

hadn't more of it to smuggle. Now, maybe your partner's not quite fixed

the same as you are; maybe he sees precious little difference between

the one thing and the other."

"You could not say truer: he sees none, I do believe," cried I; "and

though I see one, I could never tell you how."

"We never can," said the oracular Nares; "taste is all a matter of

opinion. But the point is, how will your friend take it? You refuse a

favour, and you take the high horse at the same time; you disappoint

him, and you rap him over the knuckles. It won't do, Mr. Dodd; no

friendship can stand that. You must be as good as your friend, or as bad

as your friend, or start on a fresh deal without him."

"I don't see it!" said I. "You don't know Jim!"

"Well, you WILL see," said Nares. "And now, here's another point. This

bit of money looks mighty big to Mr. Pinkerton; it may spell life or

health to him; but among all your creditors, I don't see that it amounts

to a hill of beans--I don't believe it'll pay their car-fares all round.

And don't you think you'll ever get thanked. You were known to pay a

long price for the chance of rummaging that wreck; you do the rummaging,

you come home, and you hand over ten thousand--or twenty, if you like--a

part of which you'll have to own up you made by smuggling; and, mind!

you'll never get Billy Fowler to stick his name to a receipt. Now just

glance at the transaction from the outside, and see what a clear case it

makes. Your ten thousand is a sop; and people will only wonder you were

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