them
listlessly until he came to one large envelope which bore on its flap
the all-too-familiar seal of the Ministry. Bones looked at it and made
a little face.

"It's from the Ministry," said the girl.

Bones nodded.

"Yes, my old notetaker," he said, "my poor young derelict, cast
out"--his voice shook--"through the rapacious and naughty old
speculations of one who should have protected your jolly old interests,
it is from the Ministry."

"Aren't you going to open it?" she asked.

"No, dear young typewriter, I am not," Bones said firmly. "It's all
about the beastly jute, telling me to take it away. Now, where the
dickens am I going to put it, eh? Never talk to me about jute," he
said violently. "If I saw a jute tree at this moment, I'd simply hate
the sight of it!"

She looked at him in astonishment.

"Why, whatever's wrong?" she asked anxiously.

"Nothing," said Bones. "Nothing," he added brokenly. "Oh, nothing,
dear young typewriting person."

She paused irresolutely, then picked up the envelope and cut open the
flap.

Remember that she knew nothing, except that Bones had made a big
purchase, and that she was perfectly confident--such was her sublime
faith in Augustus Tibbetts--that he would make a lot of money as a
result of that purchase.

Therefore the consternation on her face as she read its contents.

"Why," she stammered, "you've never done---- Whatever made you do
that?"

"Do what?" said Bones hollowly. "What made me do it? Greed, dear old
sister, just wicked, naughty greed."

"But I thought," she said, bewildered, "You were going to make so much
out of this deal?"

"Ha, ha," said Bones without mirth.

"But weren't you?" she asked.

"I don't think so," said Bones gently.

"Oh! So that was why you cancelled the contract?"

Hamilton jumped to his feet.

"Cancelled the contract?" he said incredulously.

"Cancelled the contract?" squeaked Bones. "What a naughty old
story-teller you are!"

"But you have," said the girl. "Here's a note from the Ministry,
regretting that you should have changed your mind and taken advantage
of Clause Seven. The contract was cancelled at four forty-nine."

Bones swallowed something.

"This is spiritualism," he said solemnly. "I'll never say a word
against jolly old Brigham Young after this!"

In the meantime two ladies who had arrived in Paris, somewhat weary and
bedraggled, were taking their morning coffee outside the Cafe de la
P