loves. He had a malacca cane with a gold top under his arm, and a
cigar at the usual angle in the corner of his mouth. No wonder that Mr.
Johnson, who was, it must be confessed, exceedingly shabby, took his
pipe from his mouth and stared at his quondam friend in amazement.

"Hullo, Burton, you back again?" he exclaimed weakly.

"I am back again just to settle up here," Mr. Burton explained, with a
wave of the hand. "Just run down in the car to take the missis out a
little way."

Mr. Johnson held on to the railing tightly.

"Your car?"

"My car," Mr. Burton admitted, modestly. "Take you for a ride some
day, if you like. How's the wife?"

"First-class, thanks," Mr. Johnson replied. "First-class, thank you,
Mr. Burton."

Burton protested mildly.

"No need to 'Mr. Burton' me, Johnson, old fellow! It shall never be said
of me that a great and wonderful rise in the world altered my feelings
towards those with whom I was once on terms of intimacy. I shall always
be glad to know you, Johnson. Thursday evening, isn't it? What are you
and the wife doing?"

"I don't know," Johnson confessed, "that we are doing anything
particular. We shall turn up at the band, I suppose."

"Good!" Mr. Burton said. "It will be our last Thursday evening in
these parts, I expect, but after I have taken the wife for a little spin
we'll walk round the band-stand ourselves. Perhaps we shall be able to
induce you and Mrs. Johnson to come back and take a little supper with
us?"

Mr. Johnson pulled himself together.

"Very kind of you, old cocky," he declared, tremulously. "Been striking
it thick, haven't you?"

Burton nodded.

"Dropped across a little thing in the city," he remarked, flicking the
dust from the sleeve of his coat. "Jolly good spec it turned out. They
made me a director. It's this new Menatogen Company. Heard of it?"

"God bless my soul, of course I have!" Johnson exclaimed. "Millions in
it, they say. The shares went from par to four premium in half an hour.
I know a man who had a call of a hundred. He's cleared four hundred
pounds."

Mr. Burton nodded in a most condescending manner.

"That so?" he remarked. "I've a matter of ten thousand myself, besides
some further calls, but I'm not selling just yet. If your friend's got
any left, you can tell him from me--and I ought to know as I'm a
director--that the shares will be at nine before long. Shouldn't wonder
if they didn't go to twenty. It's a grand invention. Best th