fellow-sufferer," said Bones.
"Bless my life and heart and soul, certainly!"

He gave the address of the little Wardour Street studio where the film
would be developed and printed, and fixed the morrow for an exhibition.

"I should very much like to see it to-night, if it is no trouble to
you."

"We will certainly do our best, sir," Hamilton felt it was necessary to
interfere at this point.

"Of course, any extra expense you are put to as the result of
facilitating the printing, or whatever you do to these films," said the
elderly man, "I shall be glad to pay."

He was waiting for Bones and Hamilton at nine o'clock that night in the
dingy little private theatre which Bones, with great difficulty, had
secured for his use. The printing of the picture had been accelerated,
and though the print was slightly speckled, it was a good one.

The elderly man sat in a chair and watched it reeled off, and when the
lights in the little theatre went up, he turned to Bones with a smile.

"I'm interested in cinema companies," he said, "and I rather fancy that
I should like to include your property in an amalgamation I am making.
I could assist you to fix a price," he said to the astonished Bones,
"if you would tell me frankly, as I think you will, just what this
business has cost you from first to last."

"My dear old amalgamator," said Bones reproachfully, "is that business?
I ask you."

"It may be good business," said the other.

Bones looked at Hamilton. They and the elderly man, who had driven up
to the door of the Wardour Street studio in a magnificent car, were the
only three people, besides the operator, who were present.

Hamilton nodded.

"Well," said Bones, "business, dear old thing, is my weakness. Buying
and selling is my passion and Lobby. From first to last, after paying
jolly old Brickdust, this thing is going to cost me more than three
thousand pounds--say, three thousand five hundred."

The elderly man nodded.

"Let's make a quick deal," he said. "I'll give you six thousand pounds
for the whole concern, with the pictures as you have taken
them--negatives, positives, cameras, etc. Is it a bargain?"

Bones held out his hand.

They dined together, a jubilant Bones and a more jubilant Hamilton, at
a little restaurant in Soho.

"My dear old Ham," said Bones, "it only shows you how things happen.
This would have been a grand week for me if those beastly oil shares of
mine had gone up. I'm holdin