“Rank burglary, my dear boy,” I replied, and we retreated with our spoil.
“Now,” said I to the colonel, “what are you going to do?”
“Why, what do you think, Mr. Martin?” interposed the signorina. “He’s going to give you your money, and divide the rest with his sincere friend Christina Nugent.”
“Well, I suppose so,” said the colonel. “But it strikes me you’re making a good thing of this, Martin.”
“My dear colonel,” said I, “a bargain is a bargain; and where would you have been without my money?”
The colonel made no reply, but handed me the money, which I liked much better. I took the three hundred and twenty thousand dollars and said:
“Now, I can face the world, an honest man.”
The signorina laughed.
“I am glad,” she said, “chiefly for poor old Jones’ sake. It’ll take a load off his mind.”
The colonel proceeded to divide the remainder into two little heaps, of which he pushed one over to the signorina. She took it gayly, and said: