"'Good. Let us say a chicken.'
"'But have you a cook here?'
"'Certainly,' nodded the bandit, and, raising his voice, he cried: 'A chicken for the gentleman.'
"Ten minutes later a chicken was brought in by a waiter in a frock suit. For a moment I thought I was in the Café de Paris.
"I ate the chicken with my eyes, and asked for a knife and fork. Peppino gave them to me, but just as I was about to attack the chicken, he held my hand and said:
"'Pardon me, your excellency, but we get paid here before things are eaten.'
"I looked at him in astonishment.
"'What does the chicken cost?' I asked.
"'Five thousand louis d'ors, or one hundred thousand francs.'
"'Are you crazy? One hundred thousand francs for a chicken?'