ose from his chair and began to pace up and down
the chamber. "I can guess to within a thousand francs of what _I_'ve
lost! I had to get the hotel to cash a check on New York for me this
morning. I've a habit of carrying all my money in bills, and a fool
trick, too. Well, I'm cured of it!"

"Oh, if it were only a little _money_ and nothing else that I'd lost!
The money means nothing." Mellin choked.

"I suppose you're pretty well fixed. Well, so am I," Cooley shook his
head, "but money certainly means something to me!"

"It wouldn't if you'd thrown away the most precious friendship of your
life."

"See here," said Cooley, halting at the foot of the bed and looking at
his stricken companion from beneath frowning brows, "I guess I can see
how it is with you, and I'll tell you frankly it's been the same with
me. I never met such a fascinating woman in my life: she throws a
reg'ler ole-fashioned _spell_ over you! Now I hate to say it, but I
can't help it, because it plain hits me in the face every time I think
of it; the truth is--well, sir, I'm afraid you and me have had little
red soldier-coats and caps put on us and strings tied to our belts while
we turned somersets for the children."

"I don't understand. I don't know what you're talking about."

"No? It seems to get more and more simple to me. I've been thinking it
all over and over again. I can't _help_ it! See here: I met Sneyd on the
steamer, without any introduction. He sort of warmed into the game in
the smoking-room, and he won straight along the trip. He called on me in
London and took me to meet the Countess at her hotel. We three went
to the theatre and lunch and so forth a few times; and when I left for
Paris she turned up on the way: that's when you met her. Couple of days
later, Sneyd came over, and he and the Countess introduced me to dear
ole friend Pedlow. So you see, I don't rightly even know who any of 'em
really _are_: just took 'em for granted, as it were. We had lots of fun,
I admit that, honkin' about in my car. We only played cards once, and
that was in her apartment the last night before I left Paris, but that
one time Pedlow won fifteen thousand francs from me. When I told them my
plans, how I was goin' to motor down to Rome, she said _she_ would be in
Rome--and, I tell you, I was happy as a poodle-pup about it. Sneyd said
he might be in Rome along about then, and open-hearted ole Pedlow said
not to be surprised if _he_ turned up, too. We