ted a moment. 'It is
well,' he said; 'I accept.' Gentlemen, when he said that, I felt that I
had done a good day's work. Apart from the commission I had a clean
profit of eighteen thousand dollars; and eighteen thousand dollars is a
tidy sum--not to you, gentlemen, nor to Jones there, but to me."

"Ged, the little cad is getting sarcastic." And Jones laughed quietly to
himself and finished his brandy-and-soda.

Mr. Fairbanks waved his arms and pounded the table so excitedly that he
roused a waiter from a nap.

"Yes, bring the same," he cried. "Now, gentlemen, I am coming to the
point. I insist on your attention. _Mr._ Jones, I will thank _you_ not
to interrupt--unless it happens that you care to aid me with the
details. Yes, sir, I said details,--d-e-t-a-i-l-s. Now wait a minute,
will you? Gentlemen, I appeal to you. He shall wait. Beat it into his
head--can't you?--that I am coming to the point, and very interesting, I
promise, you will all find it to be."

"_Tu te vantes, mon bonhomme, tu te vantes._ Here's to you."

"Here's to you. Well, gentlemen, it was then one o'clock. I always lunch
at that hour, and I asked the Russian if he would let me offer him a
bite. 'I would very much like to try a Sam Ward,' he said, 'and I might
take some tea and a bit of toast.' 'That,' I replied, 'would be tasty
with a little caviare.' I wanted to show him that, though a dealer in
precious stones, I was first and foremost a man of the world."

Alphabet Jones rolled over in spasms of delight. "Divinities of Pindar,"
he shouted, "listen to that!"

"Gentlemen, gag that man--gag him: I will be listened to. There, now,
_will_ you be quiet? You make me lose the thread. Where was I? Oh, yes:
the Russian seemed to reflect a moment, and looked at his watch. 'I
think,' he said, 'it would be better to go straight to the Brevoort
House.' (The grand duke, I knew, was stopping there.) 'My prince is to
go out this afternoon between two and three, and if you do not see him
to-day it may be hard to manage it to-morrow.' 'I am at your orders,
Excellency,' I answered; 'business before pleasure.' 'Good, then,' he
returned; 'we will take a droschky, or, better even, your railway that
is in the air.' 'The elevated, you mean,' I said--'the elevated. Yes, of
course.' Inwardly I was well pleased that the suggestion should have
come from him, for I am not over-fond of riding in a cab with a hundred
and ten thousand dollars' worth of rubies in my pocket