not."

'"Do you sell buttons now?" he says, and fills me a glass of wine off
the table.

'"Madeira," says he. "Not so good as some I have drunk."

'"You mountebank!" Boney roars. "Turn that out." (He didn't even say
"man," but Talleyrand, being gentle born, just went on.)

'"Pheasant is not so good as pork," he says. "You will find some at that
table if you will do me the honour to sit down. Pass him a clean plate,
General." And, as true as I'm here, Boney slid a plate along just like
a sulky child. He was a lanky-haired, yellow-skinned little man, as
nervous as a cat--and as dangerous. I could feel that.

'"And now," said Talleyrand, crossing his game leg over his sound one,
"will you tell me your story?" 'I was in a fluster, but I told him
nearly everything from the time he left me the five hundred dollars in
Philadelphia, up to my losing ship and cargo at Le Havre. Boney began by
listening, but after a bit he dropped into his own thoughts and looked
at the crowd sideways through the front-room curtains. Talleyrand called
to him when I'd done.

'"Eh? What we need now," says Boney, "is peace for the next three or
four years."

'"Quite so," says Talleyrand. "Meantime I want the Consul's order to the
Prize Court at Le Havre to restore my friend here his ship."

'"Nonsense!" says Boney. "Give away an oak-built brig of two hundred and
seven tons for sentiment? Certainly not! She must be armed into my Navy
with ten--no, fourteen twelve-pounders and two long fours. Is she strong
enough to bear a long twelve forward?"

'Now I could ha' sworn he'd paid no heed to my talk, but that wonderful
head-piece of his seemingly skimmed off every word of it that was useful
to him.

'"Ah, General!" says Talleyrand. "You are a magician--a magician without
morals. But the brig is undoubtedly American, and we don't want to
offend them more than we have."

'"Need anybody talk about the affair?" he says. He didn't look at me,
but I knew what was in his mind--just cold murder because I worried him;
and he'd order it as easy as ordering his carriage.

'"You can't stop 'em," I said. "There's twenty-two other men besides
me." I felt a little more 'ud set me screaming like a wired hare.

'"Undoubtedly American," Talleyrand goes on. "You would gain
something if you returned the ship--with a message of fraternal
good-will--published in the MONITEUR" (that's a French paper like the
Philadelphia AURORA).

'"A good idea!" Boney answers