over, to save time; and now his cab was stabled
at Tentaillon's, and he remarked, studying his watch, that he could spare
an hour and a half. He was much the man of business, decisively spoken,
given to frowning in an intellectual manner. Anastasie's born brother, he
did not waste much sentiment on the lady, gave her an English family
kiss, and demanded a meal without delay.

"You can tell me your story while we eat," he observed. "Anything good
to-day, Stasie?"

He was promised something good. The trio sat down to table in the arbour,
Jean-Marie waiting as well as eating, and the Doctor recounted what had
happened in his richest narrative manner. Casimir heard it with
explosions of laughter.

"What a streak of luck for you, my good brother," he observed, when the
tale was over. "If you had gone to Paris, you would have played
dick-duck-drake with the whole consignment in three months. Your own
would have followed; and you would have come to me in a procession like
the last time. But I give you warning--Stasie may weep and Henri
ratiocinate--it will not serve you twice. Your next collapse will be
fatal. I thought I had told you so, Stasie? Hey? No sense?"

The Doctor winced and looked furtively at Jean-Marie; but the boy seemed
apathetic.

"And then again," broke out Casimir, "what children you are--vicious
children, my faith! How could you tell the value of this trash? It might
have been worth nothing, or next door."

"Pardon me," said the Doctor. "You have your usual flow of spirits, I
perceive, but even less than your usual deliberation. I am not entirely
ignorant of these matters."

"Not entirely ignorant of anything ever I heard of," interrupted Casimir,
bowing, and raising his glass with a sort of pert politeness.

"At least," resumed the Doctor, "I gave my mind to the subject--that you
may be willing to believe--and I estimated that our capital would be
doubled." And he described the nature of the find.

"My word of honour!" said Casimir, "I half believe you! But much would
depend on the quality of the gold."

"The quality, my dear Casimir, was----" And the Doctor, in default of
language, kissed his finger-tips.

"I would not take your word for it, my good friend," retorted the man of
business. "You are a man of very rosy views. But this robbery," he
continued--"this robbery is an odd thing. Of course I pass over your
nonsense about gangs and landscape-painters. For me, that is a dream. Who
was in t