"Absolutely not!" A sudden suspicion came to Archie. He was normally a guileless young man, but even to him the extreme fishiness of the part played by Herbert Parker had become apparent. "I say, you know, it looks to me as if friend Parker had been having us all on a bit, what? I mean to say it was jolly old Herb, who tipped your son off—Bill, you know—to go and bid for the thing."
"Bill! Was Bill there?"
"Absolutely in person! We were bidding against each other like the dickens till we managed to get together and get acquainted. And then this bird—this gentleman—sailed in and started to slip it across us."
Professor Binstead chuckled—the care-free chuckle of a man who sees all those around him smitten in the pocket, while he himself remains untouched.
"A very ingenious rogue, this Parker of yours, Brewster. His method seems to have been simple but masterly. I have no doubt that either he or a confederate obtained the figure and placed it with the auctioneer, and then he ensured a good price for it by getting us all to bid against each other. Very ingenious!"
Mr. Brewster struggled with his feelings. Then he seemed to overcome them and to force himself to look on the bright side.
"Well, anyway," he said, "I've got the pair of figures, and that's what I wanted. Is that it in that parcel?"
"This is it. I wouldn't trust an express company to deliver it. Suppose we go up to your room and see how the two look side by side."
They crossed the lobby to the lift. The cloud was still on Mr. Brewster's brow as they stepped out and made
