er looked at his master inquiringly, and noted that he seemed very
satisfied. "What did she say in Romany?" he asked eagerly.

"True news and new news, and news you never heard of," mocked Pine.
"Don't ask questions, Mark."

"But since I am your secretary--"

"You are secretary to Hubert Pine, not to Ishmael Hearne," broke in the
other man. "And when Romany is spoken it concerns the last."

Silver's pale-colored, red-rimmed eyes twinkled in an evil manner. "You
are afraid that I may learn too much about you."

"You know all that is to be known," retorted Pine sharply. "But I won't
have you meddle with my Romany business. A Gentile such as you are
cannot understand the chals."

"Try me."

"There is no need. You are my secretary--my trusted secretary--that is
quite enough. I pay you well to keep my secrets."

"I don't keep them because you pay me," said Silver quickly, and with a
look of meekness belied by the sinister gleam in his pale bluish eyes.
"It is devotion that makes me honest. I owe everything to you."

"I think you do," observed Pine quietly. "When I found you in
Whitechapel you were only a pauper toymaker."

"An inventor of toys, remember. You made your fortune out of my
inventions."

"The three clever toys you invented laid the foundations of my wealth,"
corrected the millionaire calmly. "But I made my money in the South
African share business. And if I hadn't taken up your toys, you would
have been now struggling in Whitechapel, since there was no one but me
to exploit your brains in the toy-making way. I have rescued you from
starvation; I have made you my secretary, and pay you a good salary, and
I have introduced you to good society. Yes, you do indeed owe everything
to me. Yet--" he paused.

"Yet what?"

"Miss Greeby observed that those who have most cause to be grateful are
generally the least thankful to those who befriend them. I am not sure
but what she is right."

Silver pushed up his lower lip contemptuously, and a derisive expression
came over his clean-shaven face. "Does a clever man like you go to that
emancipated woman for experience?"

"Emancipated women are usually very clever," said Pine dryly, "as they
combine the logic of the male with the intuition of the female. And I
have observed myself, in many cases, that kindness brings out
ingratitude."

Silver looked sullen and uneasy. "I don't know why you should talk to me
in this strain," he said irritably. "I appreciate wh