e," said Toots, who
proceeded to transfer a quarter from his pocket to the astounded Skippy,
with the classic manner of a prestidigitator.

"What's happened?" said Skippy, feeling that the situation demanded some
explanation.

"Maiden aunt and birthday," said Toots joyfully. "Al, take Mr. Bedelle's
order and make mine a triple jigger, coffee with chocolate syrup!"

When ten minutes later, gorged and sated, with his faith in humanity
somewhat restored, Skippy separated from his benefactor, he turned to
Toots and said solemnly:

"Old friend, I shall remember this!"

"All right--turn about's fair play. Ta-ta and so long," said Cortrelle,
all unsuspecting of the future Destiny had built up for him.

"Yes, some day I _shall_ remember," said Skippy solemnly to himself. And
as he trudged back to his room at the Kennedy, there to map out the
future operations of the Bathtub Trust, he allowed his imagination to
dwell delightfully on that momentous future date when the debt of
friendship should be paid. He saw himself in a gorgeous marble-lined
office, protected by an outer fringe of obsequious secretaries, a box of
expensive cigars on his shining mahogany desk, and before him in
respectful attention Toots Cortrelle, now grown a man, but worn and
wasted with the buffeting years, and he saw the light of hope spurting
upward in the tired eyes as he heard himself saying:

"Cortrelle, once long ago, you did something I told you I should
remember. You have forgotten it. I never forget. For that I am going to
put you in charge of my whole South American trade at a salary--" Here
Skippy paused somewhat perplexed before continuing, awed at his own
munificence--"at a salary of over _three thousand dollars_ a year!"

But just as Toots with tears in his eyes was starting to grasp his hand,
Skippy's foot tripped over a step and he rolled ignominiously down the
terrace and fetched up in a heap among the gravel.

"Oh, please do it again!" said the voice of Snorky Green from an upper
window.

"You go to blazes!" exclaimed Skippy, rising wrathfully. But all at once
his anger left him. Snorky Green was his roommate and partner of his
secrets, and the secret that had been locked up within him these last
momentous hours simply had to be told.

CHAPTER V

THE GOLDEN SHOWER

TEN minutes later Snorky Green was standing in a daze, one hand on an
open Bible,--taken for the occasion from the room of the Pink
Rabbit,--and gazing i