As briefly as he could Oliver related the misfortune that had overtaken himself and Gus. Mr. Whyland listened attentively.
“It is too bad you have had your money stolen,” he said. “There is no use in trying to recover it. It would certainly take more time and trouble than it is worth. You must be more careful in the future.”
“I intend to be. But what shall I do here? The proprietor insists that I want to cheat him or else am fooling him.”
“I will pay the bill. I suppose travelers often impose upon him and he has grown suspicious. I will speak to him in French.”
Mr. Whyland was as good as his word. The restaurant keeper listened closely, and then began to bow and smile, and sent the waiter off for more stuff.
“I have told him that I will settle the bill and that I will have dinner with you,” explained Mr. Whyland. “He says only last week a party of three Americans came in and fooled him, and he thought you belonged to the same crowd.”
“They ought to have been ashamed of themselves,” sniffed Gus. “Might have got us into a terrible mess.”
“Yes; Americans away from home ought to be more circumspect in their actions. A few of them can give the entire nation a bad name.”
The things that Mr. Whyland had ordered were not long in coming, and then the three sat down. It was a somewhat different meal from what they had been accustomed to at home, yet not enough so to make it noticeable.