"Now, touching this hyer wallet," he said presently."How might you describe it?""In colour it was red, and within were two compartments, the one containing three score notes each of ten pounds, the other fifty pounds of gold.But what's the use of describing it? Some lucky demon will pick it up and pocket the lot, and I shall never see a cent of it again.""Then you'd better consult one who reburnishes the eyes," declared the magnanimous one with a laugh, and drawing forth the article referred to he cast it towards the merchant in a small way.
At this point of the narrative my thoroughly incompetent brush confesses the proportions of the requirement to be beyond its most extended limit, and many very honourable details are necessarily left without expression.
"I've known men of all sorts, good, bad, and bothwise," exclaimed the one who had recovered his possessions; "but I never thought to meet a gent as would hand over six hundred and fifty pounds as if it was a toothpick.Sir, it overbalances me; it does, indeed.""Say no more about it," urged the first person, and to suggest gracefully that the incident had reached its furthest extremity, he began to set out the melody of an unspoken verse.
"I will say no more, then," he replied; "but you cannot reasonably prevent my doing something to express my gratitude.If you are not too proud you will come and partake of food and wine with me beneath the sign of the Funereal Male Cow, and to show my confidence in you I shall insist upon you carrying my pocket-book."The person whom I had first encountered suffered his face to become excessively amused."Say, stranger, do you take me for a pack-mule?" hereplied good-naturedly."I already have about as much as I want to handle.Never mind; we'll come along with you, and Mr.Kong shall carry your bullion."At this delicate and high-minded proposal a rapid change, in no way complimentary to my explicit habit of adequately conducting any venture upon which I may be engaged, came over the face of the second person.
"Sir," he exclaimed, "I have nothing to say against this gentleman, but I am under no obligation to him, and I don't see why I should trust him with everything I possess.""Stranger," exclaimed the other rising to his feet (and from this point it must be understood that the various details succeeded one another with a really agile dexterity), "let me tell you that Mr.Kong is my friend, and that ought to be enough.""It is.If you say this gentleman is your friend, and that you have known him long and intimately enough to be able to answer for him, that's good enough for me.""Well," admitted the first person, and I could not conceal from myself that his tone was inauspiciously reluctant, "I can't exactly say that I've known him long; in fact I only met him half an hour ago.But I have the fullest confidence in his integrity.""It's just as I expected.Well, sir, you're good-natured enough for anything, but if you'll excuse me, I must say that you're a small piece of an earthenware vessel after all"--the veiled allusion doubtlessly being that the vessel of necessity being broken, the contents inevitably escape--"and I hope you're not being had.""I'm not, and I'll prove it before we go out together," retorted the engaging one, who had in the meantime become so actively impetuous on my account, that he did not remain content with the spoken words, but threw the various belongings about as he mentioned them in a really profuse display of inimitable vehemence."Here, Kong, take this hyer pocket-book whatever he says.Now on the top of that take everything I've got, and you know what THAT figures up to.Now give this gentleman your little lot to keep him quiet; I don't ask for anything.Now, stranger, I'm ready.You and I will take a stroll round the block and back again, andif Mr.Kong isn't waiting here for us when we return with everything intact and O.K., I'll double your deposit and never trust a durned soul again."Nodding genially over his shoulder with a harmonious understanding, expressive of the fact that we were embarking upon an undeniably diverting episode, the benevolent-souled person who had accumulated more riches than he was competent to melt away himself, passed out, urging the doubtful and still protesting one before him.
Thus abandoned to my own reflections, I pondered for a short time profitably on the third head of the day's meditation (Touching the match and this person's unattractively-lined face.The revealed truth: the inexperienced sheep cannot pass through the hedge without leaving portions of his wool), and then finding the philosophy of Wei Chung very good, I determined to remove the superfluous apprehensions of the vender of food-stuffs with less delay by setting out and meeting them on their return.
A few paces distant from the door, one of the ever-present watchers of the street was standing, watching the street with unremitting vigilance, while from the well-guarded expression of his face it might nevertheless be gathered that he stood as though in expectation.
