nnkeeper is so intelligent and so faithful--"

"The first comes from heaven," shrugged Guillaume. "The second is, all
the world over, a matter of money, my friend."

"Of course. Well then, he might take another note."

"To the other Count?"

"Why, no."

"Not yet, eh?"

Paul forced a rather wry smile. "You have experience, Monsieur
Guillaume," he confessed.

"To the Countess, is n't it? I see no harm in that. I ask you to help
in my business; I observe my promise not to interfere with yours. He
is intelligent; we will make him faithful: he shall take two notes by
all means, my friend."

With the advice and assistance of Guillaume the two notes were soon
written: the first was couched much in the terms suggested by that
ingenious old schemer, the second was more characteristic of Paul
himself and of the trade which Paul had joined. "It would grieve me
profoundly," the precious missive ran, "to do anything to distress you.
But I have suffered very seriously, and not in my purse only. Unless
you will act fairly by me, I must act for myself. If I do not receive
fifty thousand francs in twenty-four hours, I turn to the only other
quarter open to me. I am to be found at the inn. There is no need of
a signature; you will remember your--Friend."

Guillaume put on his spectacles and read it through twice.

"Excellent, Monsieur Paul!" said he.

"It is easy to detect a practised hand." And when Paul swore at him,
he laughed the more, finding much entertainment in mocking the rascal
whom he used.

Yet in this conduct there was a rashness little befitting Guillaume's
age and Guillaume's profession. Paul was not a safe man to laugh at.
If from time to time, in the way of business, he was obliged to throw a
light brighter than he would have preferred on his own character, he
did not therefore choose to be made the subject of raillery. And if it
was not safe to mock him, neither was it very safe to talk of money to
him. The thought of money--of thousands of francs, easily convertible
into pounds, marks, dollars, florins, or whatever chanced to be the
denomination of the country to which free and golden-winged steps might
lead him--had a very inflaming effect on M. Paul de Roustache's
imagination. The Baron von Englebaden had started the whole of that
troublesome affair by boasting of the number of thousands of marks
which had gone to the making of the Baroness's necklace. And now M.
Guillaume--rash M. Gu