of things, and fortunately,
for the truth of things would break you as it would have broken me but
for Raft, who sits in a room at the end of that corridor and whom the
manager of this hotel is serving with food with his own hands because
the hotel servants would consider it an insult were they asked to carry
him his food.

"I am not grumbling. I quite recognise the logic of the whole thing, but
I feel as though I were looking at everything through the large end of a
pair of opera glasses, just as when as a child I used to do so and
amuse myself by watching human beings reduced to the size of dolls.

"Well, now you have all my story and I have put before you a new view of
things and I hope I have not shocked you all. My poor Raft must now go
to the Sailors' Home where I am going with him. I want some money,
Monsieur Bonvalot."

"Mademoiselle," said Bonvalot, awaking like a person from hypnotism and
delighted to find himself on a business footing again, "certainly, I
have here your cheque book which I have brought with me."

"Then we will go to another room and discuss business matters," said the
girl rising. "Now all you people please enjoy yourselves. You are my
guests whilst you stay in this hotel. Madame de Brie will see that you
have everything."

She led the way from the room, Monsieur Bonvalot following. A suite had
been engaged for her and here in the sitting-room she started to talk
business with her man of affairs.

A large fortune is like a delicate animal, always in need of nursing and
attention, it is always changing colour in spots from rosy to dark, a
depreciation in Peruvian bonds means that your capital has shrunk just
there and the question comes will it go on shrinking; a big rise in
P.L.M. shares suggests taking the profit and re-investing should they
fall again.

Monsieur Bonvalot had problems of this sort to set before the girl--she
swept them away. "I have no time to attend to all that now," said she,
"some other day will do. I want twenty thousand francs, have you got
them?"

"Twenty thousand francs," said Bonvalot. "No, Mademoiselle. I brought
five thousand francs in notes thinking you would want them for your
expenses here, but you can write a cheque on the Credit Lyonnais and I
will get it cashed for you at once."

He produced from a wallet a bundle of pink and blue bank notes and
counted out five thousand francs, then she wrote a cheque for fifteen
thousand payable to him. He endor