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192 wasted upon the German, who was a dull, heavy man, something like Dunford; so like, indeed, that I marvelled afterwards how the one could impose upon the other.

"What is the madder with it?" he said blankly. "It is a goot node, is it not? Yes, yes, it is goot."

"Oh, it is good enough logically," I admitted; "but not commercially. It is composed of two good halves, but the whole is not good."

"There is no hole," he protested earnestly. "See, it is in its entirety gomposed of two portions adhesively together emplanked, which is permissible. Yes, it is a goot node."

I smiled knowingly and pointed first at one number and date, then at the other. By word and expression I sought to convey the information that I was astute—but not unsympathetic.

"They goincide dissimilarly!" he exclaimed, sitting down helplessly. "Then I have been in-taken!"

"Oh, not necessarily," I said. "Possibly it was a genuine mistake. But it would never do for a man in your position to pass it off and then have it traced back to you."

"It is a thing ingomprehensible," he moaned. "Who ever heard of a node of two goot dissimilar portions gomposed?"

"Oh, for that matter I have had one myself," I said reminiscently; "and after the infernal trouble I had before I could get anything from the Bank for it, I shall not forget it in a hurry."

"Ach, then it is remediable?" he asked, brightening up a little.

"Well, you may call it a remedy," I said with a laugh, offering him a cigar and lighting one myself, "but as a matter of fact it's more like an amputation. It took me