"Ay," said he, after staring at him a long time; "you can sit here at your ease, and doom a ship and risk her people's lives.

But if you had to do it, and see it, and then lie awake thinking of it, you'd wish all the gold on earth had been in hell before you put your hand to such a piece of work." Wardlaw smiled a ghastly smile.

"In short," said he, "you don't mean to take the three thousand pounds I pay you for this little job." "Oh, yes, I do; but for all the gold in Victoria I wouldn't do such a job again.

And you mark my words, sir, we shall get the money, and nobody will ever be the wiser." Wardlaw rubbed his hands complacently.

His egotism, coupled with his want of imagination, nearly blinded him to everything but the pecuniary feature of the business.