"It means disgrace if we close our doors even for an hour; it means a stain that only years can remove.

You can restore confidence by a dozen strokes of your pen, and you can save us." He was Barbara's father.

The proud old man was before him as a suppliant, no longer the cold man of the world.

Back to Brewster's mind came the thought of his quarrel with Barbara and of her heartlessness.
A scratch of the pen, one way or the other, could change the life of Barbara Drew.

The two bankers stood by scarcely breathing.