ne of the seats in front of Archie.
"Thank you," he said, with a sort of gulp. "One hundred dollars I am
offered! One hundred--one hundred--one hundred--"

Archie was startled. This sudden, tremendous jump, this wholly
unforeseen boom in Pongos, if one might so describe it, was more than
a little disturbing. He could not see who his rival was, but it was
evident that at least one among those present did not intend to allow
Pongo's brother to slip by without a fight. He looked helplessly at
Reggie for counsel, but Reggie had now definitely given up the struggle.
Exhausted nature had done its utmost, and now he was leaning back
with closed eyes, breathing softly through his nose. Thrown on his own
resources, Archie could think of no better course than to twiddle his
fingers again. He did so, and the high-priest's chant took on a note of
positive exuberance.

"Two hundred I am offered. Much better! Turn the pedestal round,
Willie, and let them look at it. Slowly! Slowly! You aren't spinning a
roulette-wheel. Two hundred. Two-two-two-two-two." He became suddenly
lyrical. "Two-two-two--There was a young lady named Lou, who was
catching a train at two-two. Said the porter, 'Don't worry or hurry or
scurry. It's a minute or two to two-two!' Two-two-two-two-two!"

Archie's concern increased. He seemed to be twiddling at this voluble
man across seas of misunderstanding. Nothing is harder to interpret to a
nicety than a twiddle, and Archie's idea of the language of twiddles
and the high-priest's idea did not coincide by a mile. The high-priest
appeared to consider that, when Archie twiddled, it was his intention
to bid in hundreds, whereas in fact Archie had meant to signify that he
raised the previous bid by just one dollar. Archie felt that, if given
time, he could make this clear to the high-priest, but the latter gave
him no time. He had got his audience, so to speak, on the run, and he
proposed to hustle them before they could rally.

"Two hundred--two hundred--two--three--thank you,
sir--three-three-three-four-four-five-five-six-six-seven-seven-seven--"

Archie sat limply in his wooden chair. He was conscious of a feeling
which he had only experienced twice in his life--once when he had taken
his first lesson in driving a motor and had trodden on the accelerator
instead of the brake; the second time more recently, when he had made
his first down-trip on an express lift. He had now precisely the same
sensation of being r