we jump him, better give him
the club right off."

Tim whispered an impatient demur. "That's all right; but I'm for coaxing
him out here first. I don't want to tap him on the gentleman's rugs; if
I do, I can tell you, it'll ruin 'em, that's all."

He swept his hand across his tongue and gripped his stick tighter.

Jenkins, at one side, bobbed his head up and down and smiled his
admiration of this sentiment. He leaned nearer to me.

"Just beckon him out, sir," his whisper advised. "Just tell him you want
to show him something in the hall--cat, or anything will do. Just so you
get him past the furniture and rugs, sir."

I advanced a step into the room. I expected the old knave to be a bit
dashed, don't you know. Not he; it never disquieted him a bit. Just gave
me a careless leer and went back to the ruby. Somehow I began to feel
riled. I'm not often taken that way, but this old scamp's persistent
audacity and impudence went beyond anything I had ever heard of.

"What in thunder's the matter with you, son?" he murmured, squinting
hideously at the jewel. "You prowl around like you had a pain." Then he
went right on:

"Say, did you ever see anything so corking fine?" He looked up, holding
the ruby in the light. "And to think how little I dreamed of scooping
anything like that when I came in here to-night!"

By Jove, this was a little too much, even for an easy-going chap like
myself! The jolly worm will turn, you know.

Dash me, before I knew what I was doing even, I had moved to his side
and jerked the ruby from his hand. My face felt like a hot-water bottle
as I did it.

"You haven't got it yet," I said, "and I'll take devilish good care you
don't get it."

He fell back as though from a blow.

"Why--why, old chap! Why, Lightnut!" he gasped. "What's the matter--what
makes you look at me like that?"

"Your liberties have gone just a bit too far, don't you know," I said,
looking steadily in his fishy old eye. "I've had enough of you, by Jove,
that's all!"

He stared at me, and I could hear him breathing like a blacksmith's
bellows. I would never have thought he had such lungs.

Slowly his hand came out, and dash me if it wasn't shaking like he had
the delirium what's-its-name. But for his tan, his face would have been
as white as his hypocritical old whiskers.

"Is this some infernal joke?" His face summoned a sickly smile that
almost instantly faded. His hand fell back to his side. "Why, old
fellow, you