"There's your chance, Kitty," said Burlingame.

"Am I beautiful?" asked Kitty, demurely.

"Lord love the minx!" shouted Cutty. "A corner in Mouquin's."

"Rain or shine." After Cutty had departed Kitty said: "He's the
most fascinating man I know. What fun it would be to jog round the
world with a man like that, who knew everybody and everything.
As a little girl I was violently in love with him; but don't you
ever dare give me away."

"You'll probably have nightmare to-night. And honestly you ought
not to live in that den alone. But Cutty has seen things,"
Burlingame admitted; "things no white man ought to see. He's been
shot up, mauled by animals, marooned, torpedoed at sea, made
prisoner by old Fuzzy-Wuzzy. An ordinary man would have died of
fatigue. Cutty is as tough and strong as a gorilla and as active
as a cat. But this jewel superstition is all rot. Odd, though;
he'll travel halfway round the world to see a ruby or an emerald.
He says no true collector cares a cent for a diamond. Says they
are vulgar."

"Except on the third finger of a lady's left hand; and then they
are just perfectly splendid!"

"Oho! Well, when you get yours I hope it's as big as the
Koh-i-noor."