"Unfortunately," said Bob with a smile, "my screw is payable in arrears; I'm afraid I shall have to wait a little."
"You say screw!" responded Herr Schwab instantly. "I haf also ze honour to rebresent ze solid house of Schlagintwert: ve can ship you best assorted screw f.o.b. Hamburg at truly staggering price."
He drew from the pocket of his ulster a sheaf of papers and looked them rapidly through.
"No," he murmured, "zis is botato spirit; zis is batent mangle; zis is edition de luxe Stones of Venice; ha! ve haf it: best Birmingham screw. Allow me, vid gombliments."
Bob caught Morton's eye as he pocketed the price list, and strenuously preserving his gravity, said:
"Thank you, sir; I shall know where to come. But I fear that with war in the air your journey may not be profitable."
"Ah! Zere you mistake, my friend. If it is peace, I sell botato-spirit Birmingham screw Ruskin edition de luxe batent mangle; if it is var—zen I rebresent ze Düsseldörfer Tageblatt; ve circulate in Werden, Kettwig, Mülheim, Odenkolin—"
"Magnifique!" exclaimed Desjardins. "You save de price of passage in all case. To compete vid you Germans, it is impossible."
Herr Schwab smiled indulgently.
"Business are business," he said. "In peace, ze Chinese, ze Japanese, ze Russian—zey are all vun to me. But in var, I am instructed by my house—ach! I should say, my journal—to agompany ze Japanese field-army."