ather a shine to these buttons. Mind letting me have one, eh?"

He flashed a quick glance at me and then away.

"Mind? Why, certainly not; take 'em all, old chap, and welcome." Yet I
responded gloomily enough, scarcely polite, you know. And I felt too
jolly prostrated to be curious as to what he could possibly want with
the things. Waistcoat buttons, likely--Billings was given to loud dress
and other bounder stunts. But he just sat there looking down after I
spoke, and presently stole a queer glance at me.

"Dicky," he said, and paused. Then he fished out that perfectly
impossible pipe of his and began to pack it, slowly shaking his head.
"Dicky, anybody that would take advantage of you would lift a baby's
milk gurgler."

Of course, I saw no more sense in that than you do, you know, but I
understood that in his crude, vulgar way he meant some sort of a
compliment.

"Dash it, of course," I said offhand, straightening up and recrossing my
legs. I always say that and do that way when fellows say stupid things.
Such a jolly good way to keep from hurting their feelings, you know, and
saves talking and thinking. Got on to it myself.

Billings' eye ranged at me as he lighted his pipe. The smoke seemed to
make him cough, and it was this, I suppose, that set him chuckling.

He suddenly held up the row of red buttons again.

"Look here, you blessed dodo," he exclaimed brusquely. "Have you really
no idea what these are, these glass buttons you are yapping about? Of
course you haven't, you jolly chowder head, but I'm going to tell you."

He threw the coat into my lap.

"They are rubies, old man, that's all," he said quietly. "Oriental
rubies, at that--flawless and perfect--the rarest and most precious
things in the world."

CHAPTER IX

AN AMAZING REVELATION

I stared blankly at Billings. "Rubies!" I gasped.

He nodded. "Genuine pigeon bloods, my son, no less."

"Oh, come now, Billings," I protested. I felt a little miffed, just a
little you know. So jolly raw to try it on that way.

"By jove, old chap, you must think me a common ass," I suggested
disgustedly.

Billings grinned at the very idea.

"_You_ a common ass, Dicky?" he ejaculated. "Nobody who knows you would
ever think that, old man."

"But, I say--"

"See here, Dicky boy, I'm in dead earnest," he interrupted eagerly.
"Don't you remember my one fad--gems? Got enough tied up in them to
build two apartment houses as big as this. Best amateur