"Suppose," he cried with feeble violence, "that all the debts in theworld were called up simultaneously, and immediate paymentinsisted upon, what under our present conditions would happenthen?"
I gave the self-evident answer that I should be a ruined man,
upon which he jumped from his chair, reproved me for myhabitual levity, which made it impossible for him to discuss anyreasonable subject in my presence, and bounced off out of theroom to dress for a Masonic meeting.