Lent him money on mortgage to start a foolish stock-raising speculation, and keeps him well supplied with drink.

The fellow's weak, but he has his good points." "But what's Clarke's object ?" "It isn't very clear.

But a man who's seldom sober is easily robbed, and Benson's place is worth something; Clarke sees it's properly farmed.

However, you must use your judgment about anything he tells you; I've given you warning." The farmer rose as he spoke, and when he had left them, Blake sat silent for a while.

Though he and Benson had never been intimate friends, it did not seem fitting to leave him in the clutches of a man who was ruining him in health and fortune.