"Dr. Delmour used up every film in the camera to record the scientific triumph of the ages."
Almost idiotic with the shock of my great grief I reeled and tottered away among the bowlders. Fooss came to find me; and when he found me he kicked me violently for some time. "Esel dumkopf!" he said.
When he was tired Lezard came and fell upon me, showering me with kicks and anathema.
When he went away I beat my head with my fists for a while. Every little helped.
After a time I smelled cooking, and presently Dr. Delmour came to where I sat huddled up miserably in the sun behind the bowlder.
"Luncheon is ready," she said.
I groaned.
"Don't you feel well?"
I said that I did not.
She lingered apparently with the idea of cheering me up. "It's been such fun," she said. "Professor Lezard and I have already located over a hundred and fifty mammoths within a short distance of here, and apparently there are hundreds, if not thousands, more in the vicinity. The ivory alone is worth over a million dollars. Isn't it wonderful!"
She laughed excitedly and danced away to join the others. Then, out of the black depth of my misery a feeble gleam illuminated the Stygian obscurity. There was one way left to stay my approaching downfall—only one. Professor Bottomly meant to get rid of me, "for the good of the Bronx," but there remained a way to ward off impending disaster. And though I had lost the opportunity of my life by disbelieving the simple honesty of James Skaw,—and though the honors and emoluments and applause which ought to have been mine were destined for this determined woman, still, if I kept my head, I should be able to hold my job at the Bronx.
Dr. Delmour was immovable in the good graces of Professor Bottomly; and the only way for me to retain my position was to marry her.
The thought comforted me. After a while I felt well enough to arise and partake of some luncheon.
They were all seated around the campfire when I approached. I was welcomed politely, inquiries concerning my health were offered; but the coldly malevolent glare of Dr. Fooss and the calm contempt in Lezard's gaze chilled me; and I squatted down by Daisy Delmour and accepted a dish of soup from her in mortified silence.
Professor Bottomly and James Skaw were feasting connubially side by side, and she was selecting titbits for him which he dutifully swallowed, his large mild eyes gazing at vacancy in a gentle, surprised sort of way as he gulped down what she offered him.
Neither of them paid any attention to anybody else.
Fooss gobbled his lunch in a sort of raging silence; Lezard, on the other side of Dr. Delmour, conversed with her continually in undertones.
After a while his persistent murmuring began to make me uneasy, even suspicious, and I glared at him sideways.
Daisy Delmour, catching my eye, blushed, hesitated, then leaning over toward me with delightful confusion she whispered:
"I know that you will be glad to hear that I have just promised to marry your closest friend, Professor Lezard—"
"What!" I shouted with all my might, "have you put one over on me, too?"
Lezard and Fooss seized me, for I had risen and was jumping up and down and splashing them with soup.
"Everybody has put one over on me!" I shrieked. "Everybody! Now I'm going to put one over on myself!"
