Shanghai Commercial Bank

Then there was the other point.

What sort of traveling companion would Nikola prove himself? Would I be able to trust him in moments of danger and difficulty? Would he stand by me as one comrade should by another? And if there turned out to be only an opportunity of escape for one at any time, would Nikola, by virtue of being my employer, seize that chance and leave me to stand the upshot, whatever it might be? In that case, my £10,000 in the Shanghai Bank and the £10,000 which was to be paid to me on my return would be a little less useful to me than to a worn-out tobacco pouch.

And this suggested to my mind another question.

Was Nikola sufficiently rich to be able to pay £20,000 to a man to accompany him on such an errand? These were all problems of importance, and they were also problems that had to be satisfactorily answered before I could arrive at any real decision.