.." He paused, and looked
troubled. "Though I had more to bother me, or ought to
have," he added, and slowly emptied his glass.
"It seems we were born to drive each other crazy with
conundrums," said I. "I have often thought my head
would split."
Carthew burst into his foolish laugh. "And yet neither
you nor I had the worst of the puzzle," he cried.
"There were others deeper in."
"And who were they?" I asked.
"The underwriters," said he.
"Why, to be sure!" cried I, "I never thought of that.
What could they make of it?"
"Nothing," replied Carthew. "It couldn't be explained.
They were a crowd of small dealers at Lloyd's who took
it up in syndicate; one of them has a carriage now; and
people say he is a deuce of a deep fellow, and has the
makings of a great financier. Another furnished a
small villa on the profits. But they're all hopelessly
muddled; and when they meet each other they don't know
where to look, like the Augurs."
Dinner was no sooner at an end than he carried me
across the road to Masson's old studio.
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