one she liked best, and the lady, more simple and caressing still,
had declared that she liked all three, and had kept them.

Simoun burst out into laughter.

"Ah, sir, I'm lost, I'm ruined!" cried the Chinese, slapping himself
lightly with his delicate hands; but the jeweler continued his
laughter.

"Ugh, bad people, surely not a real lady," went on the Chinaman,
shaking his head in disgust. "What! She has no decency, while me,
a Chinaman, me always polite! Ah, surely she not a real lady--a
_cigarrera_ has more decency!"

"They've caught you, they've caught you!" exclaimed Simoun, poking
him in the chest.

"And everybody's asking for loans and never pays--what about
that? Clerks, officials, lieutenants, soldiers--" he checked them off
on his long-nailed fingers--"ah, Señor Simoun, I'm lost, I'm _busted_!"

"Get out with your complaints," said Simoun. "I've saved you from many
officials that wanted money from you. I've lent it to them so that
they wouldn't bother you, even when I knew that they couldn't pay."

"But, Señor Simoun, you lend to officials; I lend to women, sailors,
everybody."

"I bet you get your money back."