“There must be some way,” I told myself. “Something will turn up.”
I had never eavesdropped before, yet for some reason, that day I lingered when Charles bid me a good evening and marched away, and I heard Mrs Swinton talking. They were in their front room, with the window open, so their voices carried to me on the street outside.
“All our money, Swinton? Are you sure that is wise?”
“Every last penny,” Swinton said, “and if I had more I would invest that, too. It’s a certain winner. I know them personally, and I am a legal representative on the board.”
“But, all our money, Swinton. It is a huge gamble.”
“It is as safe as the Bank of England,” Swinton said, “Safer, and with a far higher rate of return.”
“Oh, Swinton,” Mrs Swinton said. “I don’t like the idea at all.”
“Nonsense. Const
