mine own."

His round, beady eyes appealed to his listeners for sympathy, and there
is no doubt that he got that in plenty. Gutter-rat more especially
highly disapproved of the denouement of what might have proved a
lucrative adventure.

"The rich jongejuffrouw might even have fallen in love with you," he
said sternly to Diogenes, "and endowed you with her father's wealth and
influence."

"That's just my complaint," said Pythagoras, "but no! what else do you
think he said earlier in the evening?"

"Well?"

"To-night we'll behave like gentlemen," quoted the other with
ever-growing disgust, "and not like common thieves."

"Why to-night?" queried Gutter-rat in amazement. "Why more especially
to-night?"

Pythagoras and Socrates both shrugged their shoulders and suggested no
explanation. After which there was more vigorous clapping of mugs
against the table-top and Diogenes was loudly summoned to explain.

"Why to-night? why to-night?" was shouted at him from every side.

Diogenes' face became for one brief moment quite grave--quite grave be
it said, but for his eyes which believe me could not have looked grave
had they tried.

"Because," he said at last when the shouts around him had somewhat
subsided, "I had three guilders in my wallet, because my night's lodging
is assured for the next three nights and because my chief creditor has
died like a hero. Therefore, O comrades all! I could afford the luxury."

"What luxury?" sneered Gutter-rat in disgust, "to refuse the patronage
of an influential burgher of this city, backed by the enthusiasm of the
beauteous damsel, his daughter?"

"To refuse all patronage, good comrade," assented Diogenes with
emphasis.

"Bah! for twenty-four hours!..."

"Yes! for twenty-four hours, friend Gutter-rat, while those three
florins last and I have a roof over my head for which I have already
paid ... I can for those four and twenty hours afford the luxury of
doing exactly and only what it pleases me to do."

He threw up his head and stretched out his massive limbs with a gesture
of infinite satisfaction, his merry mocking glance sweeping over the
company of watch-night revellers, out-at-elbows ragamuffins, and sober
burghers with their respectable vrouws, all of whom were gaping on him
open-mouthed.

"For four and twenty hours, my dear Gutter-rat," he continued after a
long sigh of contentment, "that is during this day which has just dawned
and the night which must inevitab