JOSEPH CONRAD.

"What do you think of that?" said Roger. "You'll find that in the
story called The Anarchist."

"I think less than nothing of it," said Aubrey. "As your friend Don
Marquis observed the other evening, an idea isn't always to be blamed
for the people who believe in it. Mr. Conrad has been reading some
quack ads, that's all. Because there are fake ads, that doesn't
condemn the principle of Publicity. But look here, what I really came
round to see you for is to show you this. It was in the Times this
morning."

He pulled out of his pocket a clipping of the LOST insertion to which
Roger's attention had already been drawn.

"Yes, I've just seen it," said Roger. "I missed the book from my
shelves, and I believe someone must have stolen it."

"Well, now, I want to tell you something," said Aubrey. "To-night I
had dinner at the Octagon with Mr. Chapman." "Is that so?" said Roger.
"You know his daughter's here now."

"So he told me. It's rather interesting how it all works out. You
see, after you told me the other day that Miss Chapman was coming to
work for you, that gave me an idea. I knew her father would be
specially interested in Brooklyn, on that account, and it suggested to
me an idea for a window-display campaign here in Brooklyn for the
Daintybits Products. You know we handle all his sales promotion
campaigns. Of course I didn't let on that I knew about his daughter
coming over here, but he told me about it himself in the course of our
talk. Well, here's what I'm getting at. We had dinner in the
Czecho-Slovak Grill, up on the fourteenth floor, and going up in the
elevator I saw a man in a chef's uniform carrying a book. I looked
over his shoulder to see what it was. I thought of course it would be
a cook-book. It was a copy of Oliver Cromwell."

"So he found it again, eh? I must go and have a talk with that chap.
If he's a Carlyle fan I'd like to know him."

"Wait a minute. I had seen the LOST ad in the paper this morning,
because I always look over that column. Often it gives me ideas for
advertising stunts. If you keep an eye on the things people are
anxious to get back, you know what they really prize, and if you know
what they prize you can get a line on what goods ought to be advertised
more extensively. This was the first time I had ever noticed a LOST ad
for a book, so I thought to myself "the book business is coming up."