e expressly designated by
Tibbetti. Embellishments of oriferous metal give wealthiness of
appearance to subject, but attract juvenile research and investigation."

Hamilton glared through the window on to the front, where a small but
representative gathering of the juvenile research committee waited
patiently for the reappearance of one whom in their romantic fashion
they had termed "The Rajah of Bong."

Hamilton took the letter and opened it. It was, of course, from Bones,
and was extremely urgent. Thus it went:

"DEAR OLD PART.,--Ham I've had an offer of Browns you know the big big
Boot shop several boot shop all over London London. Old Browns going
out going out of the bisiness Sindicate trying to buy so I niped in for
105,000 pounds got lock stock and barrill baril. Sindicate awfuly sore
awfuley sore. All well here except poor young typewrighter cut her
finger finger sliceing bread doctor says not dangerus."

Hamilton breathed quickly. He gathered that Bones had bought a
boot-shop--even a collection of boot-shops--and he was conscious of the
horrible fact that Bones knew nothing about boots.

He groaned. He was always groaning, he thought, and seldom with good
reason.

Bones was in a buying mood. A week before he had bought _The Weekly
Sunspot_, which was "A Satirical Weekly Review of Human Affairs." The
possibilities of that purchase had made Hamilton go hot and moisty. He
had gone home one evening, leaving Bones dictating a leading article
which was a violent attack on the Government of the day, and had come
in the following morning to discover that the paper had been resold at
a thousand pounds profit to the owners of a rival journal which
described itself as "A Weekly Symposium of Thought and Fancy."

But Boots ... and L105,000 ...!

This was serious. Yet there was no occasion for groaning or doubt or
apprehension; for, even whilst Hamilton was reading the letter, Bones
was shaking his head violently at Mr. de Vinne, of the Phit-Phine Shoe
Syndicate, who had offered him L15,000 profit on the turn-over. And at
the identical moment that Hamilton was buying his ticket for London,
Bones was solemnly shaking hands with the Secretary of the Phit-Phine
Shoe Syndicate (Mr. de Vinne having violently, even apoplectically,
refused to meet Bones) with one hand, and holding in the other a cheque
which represented a profit of L17,500. It was one of Bones's big
deals, and reduced Hamilton to a condit