"Sam had the secret now well in hand—fuse all lighted, ready to be touched off:
"'Gentlemen,' he began, 'there are some men you have known for a short time, and you like them, and some go back to your boyhood, and those you love. I've got a friend here who is like that opal—clear as crystal and—Hand me the opal, Tim; I just want to dilate on it, and I can do it better if I have it in my hand and look into its eyes and yours.'
"Tim colored scarlet, and moved his arm quickly. The friend from boyhood, he knew, was himself, and he was not accustomed to praise.
"'Pass it along, old man!'
"'I haven't got it, Sam,' came the reply.
"'Yes, you have,' called out the young millionnaire. 'It's right there beside your glass; I saw it there a minute ago.'
"'Well, if it was,' Tim stammered, 'it isn't here now.' It was the complimentary speech that Sam was about to make that was upsetting Tim, so Sam thought.
"By this time half the guests were on their feet.
"'Look around among the glasses,' suggested one.
"'Maybe it's under your napkin,' remarked another.