"Now, Loudon," said he, "here we are all together, the day's work done and the evening before us; just start in with the whole story." "One word on business first," said I, speaking from the lips outward, and meanwhile (in the private apartments of my brain) trying for the thousandth time to find some plausible arrangement of my story.

"I want to have a notion how we stand about the bankruptcy." "O, that's ancient history," cried Jim.

"We paid seven cents, and a wonder we did as well.

The receiver----" (methought a spasm seized him at the name of this official, and he broke off).

"But it's all past and done with anyway; and what I want to get at is the facts about the wreck.