“Frederick listened, as it seemed to me, a bit sulkily, and once or twice gave Meyers a sidelong glance of suspicion, as if he was trying to discover some ulterior motive—which indeed was not lacking, as I very well knew that Meyers would not be there when I returned, and I more than half suspected that Meyers would have left before had it not been for Frederick.
“‘What will you pay?’ he asked, suddenly, turning to me. I told him.
“‘It is not much,’ he observed, in a surly voice.
“‘I am not urging you to come,’ I replied, quietly. ‘There is the proposition; take it or leave it.’
“‘I will let you know in the morning,’ said he, and left us with no salutation.
“When he had gone Meyers turned to me with a weak and somewhat frightened smile.
“‘I think that he will go,’ said he. ‘He is fond of money. Of course’—he smiled in a way that made me want to kick him—‘you understand—the—eh—my position——’
“‘No’—I answered a bit brutally, I fear—‘I don’t. If you care enough about him to educate him as you appear to have done, why do you want to desert him?’
“He shrank as if I had struck him, and for a moment seemed on the verge of collapse, then recovered and clapped his hands feebly. A yellow girl, in an unclean pinafore which rather emphasized the nakedness beneath, flopped out of the house, holding her frock partly together with one hand, and asked what he wanted.
“‘Schiedam and bitters—and bring a water-monkey,’ he answered. Rather to my surprise, the wench did as she was bid, favoring me with a rather bold stare.