Adrien laughed.

"Or I to them," he said cheerfully. "It's no light thing to sit through

a bad play. But how is that, Jasper? You said it would run."

"I?" protested Vermont, with a pleasant smile. "No, Adrien, not so

certainly as that. I said I thought the play well written, and that in

my opinion it ought to run well--a very different thing. Eh, Shelton?"

"Ah!" replied Shelton, who had been watching him keenly. "So you were

out in your reckoning for once. It is to be hoped you didn't make the

same mistake with the colt. I think you were also favourably inclined to

that, weren't you?"

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"Yes," admitted Vermont, leaning back with an admirable air of content.

"I laid my usual little bet, and lost--of course."

"You should have hedged," said Shelton, who knew as a positive fact that

Vermont had done so.

"I have no judgement," Vermont responded deprecatingly. "I am a man of

no ideas, and I admit it. Now Adrien is all acuteness; without him I

should soon go astray. I am supposed to look after his interests; but,

by Jove! it is he who supplies the brains and I the hands. I am the

machine--a mere machine, and he turns the handle!" He laughed gently at

his own joke, and held up his glass for replenishment.

"A pretty division of labour," commented Shelton, with a faint sneer.

"Now we give you the credit for all the tact and business capacity."

"Ah, what a mistake!" replied Vermont, spreading out his fat hands with

a gesture of amusement. "Well, since you give me credit, I will assume

the virtue, though I have it not."

He changed the subject adroitly to one of general interest; and as the

wine came and disappeared with greater rapidity, the talk ran on with

more wit and laughter, Vermont always handling the ball of conversation

deftly, and giving it an additional fillip when it seemed to slacken.

Adrien Leroy spoke little; though when he did make a remark, the rest

listened with an evident desire to hear his opinion.

At length Vermont rose, with a lazy look round.

"Well, I must be off," he said smoothly. "Good-night, Adrien. I shall be

with you to-morrow at twelve."

Having bade the rest of the company a hasty adieu, he turned once more

to his host.

"Good-night, Shelton," he said smilingly. "Thanks for the excellent

dinner. Rome would not have perished had you lived with the last of

Cæsars."




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