"Are you not suggesting an impossibility ?" "But if there was somebody," persisted the girl.

"What could he do on Thursday?
I want to understand everything." "Well," said Townshead, "I think this is the position.

Hallam lent me money which I cannot repay him, and he sells us up.

Incidentally, I fancy he has some reason for desiring this ranch, and as he has been acquiring a good deal of land lately will get somebody to buy it in.
Very few of our neighbours have any dollars to spare, and the price will necessarily be a low one.

Now if any man with the means to bid against him were here it would put heart into some of the others and run the prices up, and in that case Hallam would have to hand me over a balance, as well as pay a good deal more than he meant to for the ranch.