I believe that it will go through." He stopped at the table, switched on an electric light and made a rapid calculation on the back of a letter with a blue pencil.
"Yes," he said, "that's my share, a million and seventeen thousand pounds in cash, and two million in ordinary shares which can be worked off at a discount--let us say another seven hundred and fifty thousand, plus what I have got already--put that at only two hundred and fifty thousand net.

Two millions in all, which of course may or may not be added to, probably not, unless the ordinaries boom, for I don't mean to speculate any more.

That's the end of twenty years' work, Robert Aylward.

And to think of it, eighteen months ago, although I seemed so rich, I was on the verge of bankruptcy--the very verge, not worth five thousand pounds.

Now what did the trick?
I wonder what did the trick ?" He walked down the room and stopped opposite the ancient marble, staring at it-- "Not Venus, I think," he said, with a laugh, "Venus never made any man rich." He turned and retraced his steps to the other end of the room, which was veiled in shadow.