"Oh, I know your sort," Ricardo let fall negligently. "You are like most
people--or perhaps just a little more peaceable than the rest of the
buying and selling gang that bosses this rotten show. Well, well,
you respectable citizen," he went on, "let us go thoroughly into the
matter."
When Schomberg had been made to understand that Mr. Jones's henchman was
ready to discuss, in his own words, "this boat of yours, with courses
and distances," and such concrete matters of no good augury to that
villainous Swede, he recovered his soldierly bearing, squared his
shoulders, and asked in his military manner:
"You wish, then, to proceed with the business?"
Ricardo nodded. He had a great mind to, he said. A gentleman had to be
humoured as much as possible; but he must be managed, too, on occasions,
for his own good. And it was the business of the right sort of
"follower" to know the proper time and the proper methods of that
delicate part of his duty. Having exposed this theory Ricardo proceeded
to the application.
"I've never actually lied to him," he said, "and I ain't going to now.
I shall just say nothing about the girl. He will have to get over the
shock the best he can. Hang it all! Too much humouring won't do here."
"Funny thing," Schomberg observed crisply.
"Is it? Ay, you wouldn't mind taking a woman by the throat in some dark
corner and nobody by, I bet!"
Ricardo's dreadful, vicious, cat-like readiness to get his claws out at
any moment startled Schomberg as usual.
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