Sellén dropped his eyes until his glance reached the height of Falk's waistcoat pocket, into which a heavy gold chain was creeping; not that Sellén believed it to be gold, good, stamped gold. He could not have understood the recklessness of carrying so much money outside one's waistcoat. But his thoughts were following a definite course, and he continued:
"If at least I had something to pawn! But we carelessly pledged our winter overcoats on the first sunny day in April."
Falk blushed. He had never done such a thing.
"Do you pawn your winter overcoats?" he asked. "Do you get anything on them?"
"One gets something on everything—on everything," said Sellén, laying stress on everything; "the only thing needful is to have something."
To Falk the room seemed to be turning round. He had to sit down. Then he pulled out his gold watch.
"How much, do you think, should I get on this watch and chain?"
Sellén seized the future pledges and looked at them with the eye of a connoisseur.
"Is it gold?" he asked faintly.
"It is gold."