"No one, sir," said I, staring in my turn.

"And if Congress lose, and not pay, where am I, mon petit maitre de la
haute finance?" demanded Monsieur Vigo, with the palms of his hands
outward.

"You will be in good company, sir," said I.

At that he threw back his head and laughed, and Bill Cowan and my friends
laughed with him.

"Good company--c'est la plupart de la vie," said Monsieur Vigo. "Et quel
garcon--what a boy it is!"

"I never seed his beat fer wisdom, Mister Vigo," said Bill Cowan, now in
good humor once more at the prospect of rum and tobacco. And I found out
later that he and the others had actually given to me the credit of this
coup. "He never failed us yet. Hain't that truth, boys? Hain't we
a-goin' on to St. Vincent because he seen the Ha'r Buyer sculped on the
Ohio?"

The rest assented so heartily but withal so gravely, that I am between
laughter and tears over the remembrance of it.

"At noon you come back," said Monsieur Vigo. "I think till then about
rate of exchange, and talk with your Colonel. Davy, you stay here."

I remained, while the others filed out, and at length I was alone with
him and Jules, his clerk.