ave the
stone if money could prevent it. So I too became a bidder.

The first figure set by the dealers was almost prohibitive, but as
Fluette seemed willing to meet it, I was ready to go him one better.
But the wily Italians hedged. They set us to bidding against each
other, and as the price rose my resolution to get the stone grew more
set.

While the bids mounted, I was given ample satisfaction for the weight
of whatever financial obligations I was incurring by Fluette's
increasing worry and chagrin. He was like a pup that does n't know
whether the bone is going into the soup-kettle or the garbage-can. I
swore to have that bit of red glass if it took every cent that I could
rake and scrape together--and I had a few of them.

Finally Fluette drew out, cursing me. I brought the Italians to a
showdown.

Still they hesitated. I became suspicious.

One night Cristofano Paternostro, the head of the firm, called at my
hotel. He was nervous and ill at ease. He informed me, with many hems
and haws, that the ruby Fluette and I had been snarling over was lying
at the bottom of the English Channel, and that they would be unable to
deliver the goods. He had a good deal to say about the prestige the
ruby gave the firm, and much more to the same effect, until I cut him
off short. I told him that the ruby was nearer to making him
ridiculous.

It seems that after they recovered the stone in Paris, the expert who
accompanied them could n't resist the temptation to steal it. Besides
being a gem expert and an expert thief, this fellow was accounted an
expert swimmer. When the boat was near land he tried to get away with
the prize by jumping overboard, under cover of night, and swimming
ashore. He did succeed in reaching the nearest land--which is to say,
straight down. And that was the last of him, the ruby, and pretty
nearly of the three Italians.

Since the ruby could n't be recovered, they agreed to make the best of
it. They agreed to keep the matter among themselves, and to continue
to reap all the advertising benefits which the supposed possession of
such a costly trinket gave them.

It was a joke, that. Here was I, like an old idiot, trying to spend
good money for something the other fellow did n't have to sell.

But pretty soon I saw a way to reach my end just the same as though I
'd beat Fluette in the deal. It was a whole lot better than that, in
fact. I could get out from under without it costing