"'Be seated,' he said courteously; again reminding me of Mick.
"'Which one first?' he asked, pointing to a little inner room curtained from view. The Judge suggested genially that we all go in together, but the professor explained that one at a time was his invariable rule.
"'Oh, all right, all right,' said the judge, somewhat miffed; 'far be it from me to—to——'
"'Ladies first,' said I.
"''Tis well,' said the professor, with a salaam; and the pair disappeared behind the draperies.
"'I wonder how long they are going to stay,' said the Judge, after we had waited some fifteen minutes. The conversation behind the arras, at first low and murmuring, was becoming animated. I distinctly heard the Parsee say, 'Who are the blaggards ye've brought here wid ye?' followed by an unintelligible reply.
"'What did he say?' queried the Judge, looking up sharply.
"'I don't understand Parsee, sir,' said I.
"'That was no foreign tongue; that was American—with a brogue. I don't like that. Let's hurry them up. I say, what time is it?'
"We reached for our watches. They were gone! Instinctively I felt for my wallet. Gone! My scarf-pin. Gone!