Do you agree?"
"Oh, gladly, monsieur!" cried Pelletan, with a deep breath of relief.
After all, is not glory the next best thing to riches?
"And your friend?"
The notary nodded a solemn promise of secrecy.
"All right," and Rushford signed. Pelletan hastily affixed his
signature, and the thing was done. "Now, my friend," continued the
American, "which is the swellest suite of rooms you've got in the
house?"
"De luxe A," responded Pelletan. "Monsieur wishes--"
"I wish you to get it ready at once--"
"Monsieur will occupy it himself, no toubt?"
"No, I won't; I'll stay right where I am. But between seven and eight
o'clock to-morrow morning, there will arrive an English ship of war--"
"A sheep-of-t'e-war!" echoed Pelletan, growing pale.
"Certainly, a ship of war, and from it there will disembark a man named
Vernon and his suite of four or five people. You will give him apartment
A."
Pelletan caught his breath.
"Monsieur Vernon iss, I suppose, a friend?" he stammered.
"No," said Rushford, "I've never seen him. But we'll have to treat him
well. He's the head of the British foreign office, Pelletan; and one of
the high nobility. Beside him, Zeit-Zeit will look like thirty cents!"
CHAPTER III
Distinguished arrivals at Weet-sur-Mer
Even at this unaccustomed hour of the morning, the beach was black with
people.
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