"But where is Simoun? Simoun should buy it."

But the jeweler had disappeared, unnoticed by any one.

"_Puñales!_" exclaimed Padre Camorra, "how stingy the American
is! He's afraid we would make him pay the admission for all of us
into Mr. Leeds' show."

"No!" rejoined Ben-Zayb, "what he's afraid of is that he'll compromise
himself. He may have foreseen the joke in store for his friend
Mr. Leeds and has got out of the way."

Thus, without purchasing the least trifle, they continued on their
way to see the famous sphinx. Ben-Zayb offered to manage the affair,
for the American would not rebuff a journalist who could take revenge
in an unfavorable article. "You'll see that it's all a question
of mirrors," he said, "because, you see--" Again he plunged into a
long demonstration, and as he had no mirrors at hand to discredit
his theory he tangled himself up in all kinds of blunders and wound
up by not knowing himself what he was saying. "In short, you'll see
how it's all a question of optics."





CHAPTER XVIII

LEGERDEMAIN