estly believe that the phrase of welcome was no empty one,
even before he knew what I had come about. He seemed--I say it without
conceit--to have taken a fancy to me at our first meeting.

The gist of my tale came out pretty rapidly, although I skipped no
details, but waded through chapter and verse; but before it was half
told, Taltavull had sprung up from his seat, and was pacing backwards
and forwards over the thick carpet, fiercely waving his long arms, and
looking for all the world like a mechanical frock-coated skeleton. I
broke off, and asked half-laughingly if I had offended him.

"I deem you, senor," cried he, "the greatest benefactor that my cause
and I have ever known. I shall feel myself standing to the chin in your
debt, whatever your conditions may be."

And with that I went on to the end of the yarn.

"Senor Cospatric," said he, when the last had been told, "it is
directly contrary to the tenets of our creed to assist one
individual--much less two--in piling up wealth beyond the due
proportion. But it is also our fixed maxim to deal honourably with
those who do the like by us. You, Don Miguel, are one of our enemies, a
passive one, it is true, but none the less an enemy, because you are
not for us. Also I see with sorrow and certainty that you will never
become a convert. There is something in your blood, some hereditary
taint of conservatism, which forbids it. But for all that, you shall
find that we anarchists can keep faith with our opponents. You shall
have your rigid eighteen months' monopoly of the diamonds before we
begin to stir the market and set about revolutionizing the world."

"Always supposing you can manage to finger the Recipe, which, as we
stand at present, seems a by no means certain thing."

"Pah, _amigo_, you are half-hearted. I"--he struck his narrow
chest fiercely--"shall never think of defeat. From the outset I shall
go into the business with intention to succeed. Of my methods you may
not learn much, for to those beyond the pale we lock out secrets. But
could you know how far our brotherhood extends, and how deep is the
responsibility with which each member is saddled, you would have more
faith in the mighty weapon whose hilt I, Taltavull, grasp between my
fingers."

"Don't you go and involve Haigh and myself in a political row."

"No word of what is happening will pass outside the bounds of our own
clique."

"I just mentioned the matter, y'know, because you anarchists h