“Oh, you let him have the ship then?”
“Certainly. Trade is dull in those parts now. As a matter of fact the Ida was lying up.”
Gorman pretended to yawn by way of showing how very little interest he took in the matter.
“Hope he’ll enjoy the trip,” he said. “Doesn’t sound an attractive country by your account.”
“Well,” said Steinwitz, “there are some interesting things to see. There’s the Island of Salissa, for instance.”
Gorman was startled by the mention of Salissa. He may possibly have shown his surprise. Steinwitz went on:
“By the way, talking of Salissa, Goldsturmer told me a curious thing the other day. You know Goldsturmer, don’t you?”
“The jewel man?”
“Yes. He says your friend Donovan has bought the island of Salissa from that picturesque blackguard King Konrad Karl. I wonder if that can be true. Goldsturmer says he has it on the best authority.”
“Those ‘best authorities’,” said Gorman, “are invariably liars. I have known scores of them.”