I won't. I remimber Jimmy Baxter in
Texas--"

"Hang Jimmy Baxter!" Ezra cried impatiently.

"That's been done already," observed the major calmly. "Lynched for
horse-stealing in '66. However, go on, and I'll promise not to stop you
until you have finished."

Thus encouraged, Ezra proceeded to unfold the plan upon which the
fortunes of the House of Girdlestone depended. Not a word did he say of
ruin or danger, or the reasons which had induced this speculation.
On the contrary, he depicted the affairs of the firm as being in a most
nourishing condition, and this venture as simply a small insignificant
offshoot from their business, undertaken as much for amusement as for
any serious purpose. Still, he laid stress upon the fact that though
the sum in question was a small one to the firm, yet it was a very large
one in other men's eyes. As to the morality of the scheme, that was a
point which Ezra omitted entirely to touch upon. Any comment upon that
would, he felt, be superfluous when dealing with such a man as his
companion.

"And now, major," he concluded, "provided you lend us your name and your
talents to help us in our speculation, the firm are prepared to meet you
in a most liberal spirit in the matter of remuneration. Of course your
voyage and your expenses will be handsomely paid. You will have to
travel by steamer to St. Petersburg, provided that we choose the Ural
Mountains as the scene of our imaginary find. I hear that there is high
play going on aboard these boats, and with your well-known skill you
will no doubt be able to make the voyage a remunerative one. We
calculate that at the most you will be in Russia about three months.
Now, the firm thought that it would be very fair if they were to
guarantee you two hundred and fifty pounds, which they would increase to
five hundred in case of success; of course by that we mean complete
success, such as would be likely to attend your exertions."

Now, had there been any third person in the room during this long
statement of the young merchant's, and had that third person been a man
of observation, he might have remarked several peculiarities in the
major's demeanour. At the commencement of the address he might have
posed as the very model and type of respectable composure. As the plan
was gradually unfolded, however, the old soldier began to puff harder at
his cigar until a continuous thick grey cloud rose up from him, through
which the lurid tip