Since yesterday he had rigged himself anew in ready-
made black clothes, not very aptly fitted; the upper
left-hand pocket showing a corner of silk handkerchief,
the lower, on the other side, bulging with papers.
Pinkerton had just given this man a high character.
Certainly he seemed to have been very frank, and I
looked at him again to trace (if possible) that virtue
in his face. It was red and broad and flustered and (I
thought) false. The whole man looked sick with some
unknown anxiety; and as he stood there, unconscious of
my observation, he tore at his nails, scowled on the
floor, or glanced suddenly, sharply, and fearfully at
passers-by. I was still gazing at the man in a kind of
fascination, when the sale began.
Some preliminaries were rattled through, to the
irreverent, uninterrupted gambolling of the boys; and
then, amid a trifle more attention, the auctioneer
sounded for some two or three minutes the pipe of the
charmer. "Fine brig--new copper--valuable fittings--
three fine boats--remarkably choice cargo--what the
auctioneer would call a perfectly safe investment; nay,
gentlemen, he would go further, he would put a figure
on it: he had no hesitation (had that bold auctioneer)
in putting it in figures; and in his view, what with
this and that, and one thing and another, the purchaser
might expect to clear a sum equal to the entire
estimated value of the cargo; or, gentlemen, in other
words, a sum of ten thousand dollars.
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