of the havannah shone like a murky meteor.
From time to time he passed his hand down his puffy cheeks, as was his
custom when excited. Then he moved uneasily in his chair, cleared his
throat huskily, and showed other signs of restlessness, all of which
were hailed by Ezra Girdlestone as unmistakable proofs of the
correctness of his judgment and of the not unnatural eagerness of the
veteran on hearing of the windfall which chance had placed in his way.

When the young man had finished, the major stood up with his face to the
empty fire-place, his legs apart, his chest inflated, and his body
rocking ponderously backwards and forwards.

"Let me be quite sure that I understand you," he said. "You wish me to
go to Russia?"

"Quite so," Ezra remarked, rubbing his hands pleasantly.

"You have the goodness to suggist that on me way I should rook me
fellow-passengers in the boat?"

"That is to say, if you think it worth your while."

"Quite so, if I think it worth me while. I am then to procade across
the counthry to some mountains--"

"The Urals."

"And there I am to pretind to discover certain diamond mines, and am to
give weight to me story by the fact that I am known to be a man of good
birth, and also by exhibiting some rough stones which you wish me to
take out with me from England?"

"Quite right, major," Ezra said encouragingly.

"I am then to tilegraph or write this lie to England and git it inserted
in the papers?"

"That's an ugly word," Ezra remonstrated. "This 'report' we will say.
A report may be either true or false, you know."

"And by this report, thin," the major continued, "you reckon that the
market will be so affected that your father and you will be able to buy
and sell in a manner that will be profitable to you, but by which you
will do other people out of their money?"

"You have an unpleasant way of putting it," said Ezra, with a forced
laugh; "but you have the idea right."

"I have another idea as well," roared the old soldier, flushing purple
with passion. "I've an idea that if I was twinty years younger I'd see
whether you'd fit through that window, Master Girdlestone. Ged! I'd
have taught you to propose such a schame to a man with blue blood in his
veins, you scounthrel!"

Ezra fell back in his chair. He was outwardly composed, but there was a
dangerous glitter in his eye, and his face had turned from a healthy
olive to a dull yellow tint.

"You won't do it?" he gasped.