“Yes, but it doesn’t dazzle me.”
“It’s all the money I have in the world.”
“Then you’d better join me.”
Barclay hesitated.
“I don’t quite like it. I don’t care about going up the river again too soon.”
“You needn’t, if you are careful. I’ll give you a few points. If one of your bills is found out, you are at once searched to see if you have any more.”
“There’s the danger.”
“So there is, but you can guard against it. When I am preparing to offer a bill, I put a number of good bills in my vest pocket, where they will be certain to be found at once. The other counterfeits I put in a secret inside pocket where they are not likely to be discovered. Then when it is found that all the other bills are good, I say that some rascal must have passed the bad bill on me, taking advantage of my innocence and ignorance of the world.”
This seemed to Barclay an excellent joke, and he laughed long and loud.