“Then your stay will be proportionate to your spending powers.”
“In an inverse ratio, as they used to say at school,” said Despard.
When Mr. Harwood went into the room he reflected that on the whole he had not gained much information from Mr. Despard; and Mr. Despard reflected that on the whole Mr. Harwood had not got much information by his system of leading questions.
About half an hour afterwards Markham came out upon the balcony, and gave a little unaccountable start on seeing its sole occupant.
“Hallo, my boy! have you turned up at last?” cried Despard. “Our good old Calapash friend will tell you that unless you get up with the lark you'll never do anything in the world. You should have been here a short time ago to witness the hydraulic experiments.”
“The what?” said Markham.
“Hydraulic experiments. The patent pump of the Dominant Trumpeter was being tested upon me. Experiments failed, not through any incapacity of the pump, but through the contents of the reservoir worked upon not running free enough in the right direction.”
“Was Mr. Harwood here?”
“He was, my boy. And he wanted to know all about how we lived in Melbourne.”
“And you told him——”