Page:Rowland--In the shadow.djvu/220

 dress him as no other person could have done; he was a skilled maître d'hôtel; could devise ingenious entertainments for his guests, as in the matter of the 'rikishas at his water party. Quite recently he had discovered that Jules possessed a mind far superior to his own, but this carried no jealousy. Of course not! Had he wished could he not have squeezed the life from the valet with one hand as one squeezes an orange?

Jules and Rosenthal also cherished mutual esteem. Jules was too much a man of the world to look down upon Rosenthal because he was a Jew; also, he had scrutinized Rosenthal closely and decided that he would deal honestly by his master. The little Frenchman had seen at once that the Jew was laid out on broad lines; no dishonesty with him would be a theft, it would be a financial coup. He knew the influence of Rosenthal upon his master. Dessalines, in truth, was very fond of him; trusted him, admired his mind and energy. Jules saw that the Jew would spare nothing to place Dessalines in power. Then, very properly, he would ask for and receive a bonus; a subsidy; special export duties for his coffee or timber grants. As for the agent, he knew that if successful he had but to ask. Dessalines was generous.

Their conference contained no element of dissension; the three mutually friendly, mutually respectful; their floreate expressions were not rococo, they gilded strong sentiments.

These three men are not such infrequent types as one might think; there are to be met many such if one travels their paths. These were rather admirable characters; they possessed courage, generosity, ambition, loyalty. 210