these immense riches?'

'Really, my good sir, I am, in truth, the very last man in the world to
answer questions: he is a banker; bankers are always rich; but why they
are, or how they are, I really never had time to inquire. But I suppose,
if the truth were known, they must have very great opportunities.'

'Ah! I begin to see,' said Popanilla. 'It was really very kind of
him,' continued the Captain, 'to make me a present of these little pink
shells: what would I not give to turn them into a necklace, and send it
to a certain person at Fantaisie!'

'It would be a very expensive necklace,' observed his companion, almost
surprised. 'I had no idea, I confess, from your appearance, that in your
country they indulged in such expensive tastes in costume.'

'Expensive!' said Popanilla. 'We certainly have no such shells as these
in Fantaisie; but we have much more beautiful ones. I should think, from
their look, they must be rather common.'

His conductor for the first time nearly laughed. 'I forgot,' said
he, 'that you could not be aware that these pink shells are the most
precious coin of the land, compared with which those bits of gold with
which you have recently parted are nothing; your whole fortune is now
in that little packet. The fact is,' continued the unknown, making an
effort to communicate, 'although we possess in this country more of the
precious metals than all the rest of the world together, the quantity is
nevertheless utterly disproportioned to the magnitude of our wealth and
our wants. We have been, therefore, under the necessity of resorting
to other means of representing the first and supplying the second; and,
taking advantage of our insular situation, we have introduced these
small pink shells, which abound all round the coast. Being much more
convenient to carry, they are in general circulation, and no genteel
person has ever anything else in his pocket.'

'Wonderful! But surely, then, it is no very difficult thing in this
country to accumulate a fortune, since all that is necessary to give you
every luxury of life is a stroll one morning of your existence along the
beach?'

'By no means, my friend! you are really too rapid. The fact is, that
no one has the power of originally circulating these shells but our
Government; and if any one, by any chance, choose to violate this
arrangement, we make up for depriving him of his solitary walks on the
shore by instant submersion in the sea.'

'Then the