ure Mr Babylon invited the millionaire down a side corridor,
at the end of which was Mr Babylon's private room, a miracle of Louis XV
furniture and tapestry: like most unmarried men with large incomes, Mr
Babylon had 'tastes' of a highly expensive sort.

The landlord and his guest sat down opposite each other. Theodore
Racksole had met with the usual millionaire's luck in this adventure,
for Mr Babylon made a practice of not allowing himself to be interviewed
by his guests, however distinguished, however wealthy, however
pertinacious. If he had not chanced to enter Miss Spencer's office at
that precise moment, and if he had not been impressed in a somewhat
peculiar way by the physiognomy of the millionaire, not all Mr
Racksole's American energy and ingenuity would have availed for a
confabulation with the owner of the Grand Babylon Hotel that night.
Theodore Racksole, however, was ignorant that a mere accident had served
him. He took all the credit to himself.

'I read in the New York papers some months ago,' Theodore started,
without even a clearing of the throat, 'that this hotel of yours, Mr
Babylon, was to be sold to a limited company, but it appears that the
sale was not carried out.'

'It was not,' answered Mr Babylon frankly, 'and the reason was that
the middle-men between the proposed company and myself wished to make a
large secret profit, and I declined to be a party to such a profit. They
were firm; I was firm; and so the affair came to nothing.'

'The agreed price was satisfactory?'

'Quite.'

'May I ask what the price was?'

'Are you a buyer, Mr Racksole?'

'Are you a seller, Mr Babylon?'

'I am,' said Babylon, 'on terms. The price was four hundred thousand
pounds, including the leasehold and goodwill. But I sell only on the
condition that the buyer does not transfer the property to a limited
company at a higher figure.'

'I will put one question to you, Mr Babylon,' said the millionaire.
'What have your profits averaged during the last four years?'

'Thirty-four thousand pounds per annum.'

'I buy,' said Theodore Racksole, smiling contentedly; 'and we will, if
you please, exchange contract-letters on the spot.'

'You come quickly to a resolution, Mr Racksole. But perhaps you have
been considering this question for a long time?'

'On the contrary,' Racksole looked at his watch, 'I have been
considering it for six minutes.'

Felix Babylon bowed, as one thoroughly accustomed to eccentricity