o roughly last night," said Dennison, unexpectedly.

"And I am sorry that I answered you so sharply. But all this worry and
fuss over me is getting on my nerves. You've written down Cunningham as a
despicable rogue, when he is only an interesting one. If only you would
give banter for banter, you might take some of the wind out of his sails.
But instead you go about as if the next hour was to be our last!"

"Who knows?"

"There you go! In a minute we'll be digging up the hatchet again."

But she softened the reproach by smiling. At this moment Cunningham came
in briskly and cheerfully. He sat down, threw the napkin across his knees,
and sent an ingratiating smile round the table.

"Cleigh"--he was always talking to Cleigh, and apparently not minding in
the least that he was totally ignored--"Cleigh, they are doing a good job
in the Santa Maria delle Grazie, so I am told. Milan, of course. They are
restoring Da Vinci's Cenacolo. What called it to mind is the fact that
this is also the last supper. To-morrow at this hour you will be in
possession and I'll be off for my pearls."

The recipients of this remarkable news appeared petrified for a space.
Cunningham enjoyed the astonishment.

"Sounds almost too good to be true, doesn't it? Still, it's a fact."

"That's tiptop news, Cunningham," said Dennison. "I hope when you go down
the ladder you break your infernal neck. But the luck is on your side."

"Let us hope that it stays there," replied Cunningham, unruffled. He
turned to Cleigh again: "I say, we've always been bewailing that job of Da
Vinci's. But the old boy was a seer. He knew that some day there would be
American millionaires and that I'd become a force in art. So he put his
subject on a plaster wall so I couldn't lug it off. A canvas the same
size, I don't say; but the side of a church!"

"A ship is going to pick you up to-morrow?" asked Jane.

"Yes. The crew of the _Wanderer_ goes to the _Haarlem_ and the _Haarlem_
crew transships to the _Wanderer_. You see, Cleigh, I'm one of those
efficiency sharks. In this game I have left nothing to chance. Nothing
except an act of God--as they say on the back of your steamer ticket--can
derange my plans. Not the least bit of inconvenience to you beyond going
out of your course for a few days. The new crew was signed on in
Singapore--able seamen wanting to return to the States. Hired them in your
name. Clever idea of me, eh?"

"Very," said Cleigh, speaking direct