“I am sure I haven’t the slightest idea—that old English Duke, he certainly has money enough.”
“No, not from him at all; the very last person you would expect it from—your friend, the Living Skeleton.”
“What!” cried Robbins, in alarm.
“Oh, I found him on the bench where he usually sits, in the avenue of the palms. I told him all about the charity and how useful it was, and how necessary, and how we all ought to give as much as we could towards it, and he smiled and smiled at me in that curious way of his. ‘Yes,’ he said in a whisper, ‘I believe the charity should be supported by everyone; I will give you eighty francs.’ Now, wasn’t that very generous of him? Eighty francs, that was ten times what the Duke gave, and as he handed me the money he looked up at me and said in that awful whisper of his: ‘Count this over carefully when you get home and see if you can find out what else I have given you. There is more than eighty francs there.’ Then, after I got home, I——”
But here the Nice Girl paused, when she looked at the face of Robbins, to whom she was talking. That face was ghastly pale and his eyes were staring at her but not seeing her.
“Eighty francs,” he was whispering to himself, and he seemed to be making a mental calculation. Then noticing the Nice Girl’s amazed look at him, he said:
“Did you take the money?”
“Of course I took it,” she said, “why shouldn’t I?”
“Great Heavens!” gasped Robbins, and without a word he turned and fled, leaving the Nice Girl transfixed with astonishment and staring after him with a frown on her pretty brow.
“What does he mean by such conduct?” she asked herself. But Robbins disappeared from the gathering throng in the large room of the hotel, dashed down the steps, and hurried along the narrow pavements toward the “Golden Dragon.” The proprietor was standing in the hallway with his hands behind him, a usual attitude with the Dragon.