to do?"

"An enterprisin' man wouldn't ask such a question. Half the people in
the world takes what the other half gives. You ought to know what half
_I_ belong to."

"I'm afraid I belong to the other half, Jim Coast," said Peter quietly.

"_Sacre--!_" sneered the other, rising suddenly. "Where you goin' to
wait, Pete? At the Ritz or the Commodore? In a month you'll be waitin'
on _me_. It'll be _Mister_ Coast for you then, _mon garcon_, but you'll
still be Pete." He shrugged and offered his hand. "Well, we won't
quarrel but our ways split here."

"I'm sorry, Jim. Good-by."

He saw Coast slouch out into the street and disappear m the crowd moving
toward Broadway. He waited for a while thinking deeply and then with a
definite plan in his mind strolled forth. First he bought a second-hand
suit case in Seventh Avenue, then found a store marked "Gentlemen's
Outfitters" where he purchased ready-made clothing, a hat, shoes,
underwear, linen and cravats, arraying himself with a sense of some
satisfaction and packing in his suitcase what he couldn't wear, went
forth, found a taxi and drove in state to a good hotel.

* * * * *

New York assimilates its immigrants with surprising rapidity. Through
this narrow funnel they pour into the "melting pot," their racial
characteristics already neutralized, their souls already inoculated with
the spirit of individualism. Prepared as he was to accept with a good
grace conditions as he found them, Peter Nichols was astonished at the
ease with which he fitted into the niche that he had chosen. His room
was on the eighteenth floor, to which and from which he was shot in an
enameled lift operated by a Uhlan in a monkey-cap. He found that it
required a rather nice adjustment of his muscles to spring forth at
precisely the proper moment. There was a young lady who presided over
the destinies of the particular shelf that he occupied in this enormous
cupboard, a very pretty young lady, something between a French Duchess
and a lady's maid. Her smile had a homelike quality though and it was
worth risking the perilous catapulting up and down for the mere pleasure
of handing her his room key. Having no valuables of course but his money
which he carried in his pockets there was no danger from unprincipled
persons had she been disposed to connive at dishonesty.

His bedroom was small but neat and his bathroom was neat but small,
tiled in white enamel, containing ev