ok out some small nickels and planked five down on the table. The
man cried down blessings and picked up three. Blenkiron very swiftly
swept the other two into his pocket.

That seemed to me queer, and I remarked that I had never before seen a
beggar who gave change. Blenkiron said nothing, and presently we moved
on and came to the harbour-side.

There were a number of small tugs moored alongside, and one or two
bigger craft--fruit boats, I judged, which used to ply in the Aegean.
They looked pretty well moth-eaten from disuse. We stopped at one of
them and watched a fellow in a blue nightcap splicing ropes. He raised
his eyes once and looked at us, and then kept on with his business.

Blenkiron asked him where he came from, but he shook his head, not
understanding the tongue. A Turkish policeman came up and stared at us
suspiciously, till Blenkiron opened his coat, as if by accident, and
displayed a tiny square of ribbon, at which he saluted.

Failing to make conversation with the sailor, Blenkiron flung him three
of his black cigars.

'I guess you can smoke, friend, if you can't talk,' he said.

The man turned and caught the three neatly in the air. Then to my
amazement he tossed one of them back.

The donor regarded it quizzically as it lay on the pavement.

'That boy's a connoisseur of tobacco,' he said. As we moved away I saw
the Turkish policeman pick it up and put it inside his cap.

We returned by the long street on the crest of the hill. There was a
man selling oranges on a tray, and Blenkiron stopped to look at them. I
noticed that the man shuffled fifteen into a cluster. Blenkiron felt
the oranges, as if to see that they were sound, and pushed two aside.
The man instantly restored them to the group, never raising his eyes.

'This ain't the time of year to buy fruit,' said Blenkiron as we passed
on. 'Those oranges are rotten as medlars.'

We were almost on our own doorstep before I guessed the meaning of the
business.

'Is your morning's work finished?' I said.

'Our morning's walk?' he asked innocently.

'I said "work".'

He smiled blandly. 'I reckoned you'd tumble to it. Why, yes, except
that I've some figuring still to do. Give me half an hour and I'll be
at your service, Major.'

That afternoon, after Peter had cooked a wonderfully good luncheon, I
had a heart-to-heart talk with Blenkiron.

'My business is to get noos,' he said; 'and before I start on a stunt I
make consi