Page:Barr--Stranleighs millions.djvu/70

58 way to make you dream of the luxurious East, and he can grill a sole so that it consoles one for all his troubles—no pun intended. I am told that in New York they have no soles—neither the one you spell with an 'e,' nor the one you spell with a 'u.' Pun intentional this time."

"An exceedingly bad one, too."

"It's well known the Scotch have no sense of humour, Peter. What's taking you to New York?"

"The Adriatic."

"That's not so bad, Peter. You'll improve in time, so don't be pessimistic about yourself."

"The point is: will you come with me?"

"There's no particular reason why I should, at the moment, except for the pleasure of your companionship, which I admit is a temptation. I'm floating Bendale's Stores into a limited liability company; being tired of shopkeeping, I desire to unload on the credulous British public. Three millions of pounds is all I'm asking, so I must stop in old England, and sign documents presented to me by the lawyers."

"How soon is your great company to be brought out?"

"The date isn't fixed yet. I'm waiting for the financial situation to be rather more settled than it is. Consols are away down, they tell me, though I don't see what that has to do with the matter. In fact, I hold that the cheaper gilt-edged securities