Part 10 (1/2)
Spike paused.
”Dat was to de good,” he said wistfully.
Jimmy made no reply.
”Dere's a loidy here,” continued Spike, addressing the chest of drawers, ”dat's got a necklace of jools what's wort' two hundred thousand plunks.”
”I know.”
Silence again.
”Two hundred thousand plunks,” breathed Spike.
”What a necklace!” thought Jimmy.
”Keggs told me dat. De old gazebo what hands out de long woids. I could find out where dey're kept dead easy.'
”What a king of necklaces!” thought Jimmy.
”Shall I, Mr. Chames?”
”Shall you what?” asked Jimmy, coming out of his thoughts with a start.
”Why, find out where de loidy keeps de jools.”
”Confound you, Spike! How often am I to tell you that I have done with all that sort of thing forever? I never want to see or touch another stone that doesn't belong to me. I don't want to hear about them. They don't interest me.”
”Sorry, Mr. Chames. But dey must cop de limit for fair, dose jools.
Two hundred t'ousand plunks! What's dat dis side?”
”Forty thousand pounds,” said Jimmy shortly. ”Now, drop it.”
”Yes, Mr. Chames. Can I help youse wit' de duds?”
”No, thanks. Spike; I'm through, now. You might just give me a brush down, though, if you don't mind. Not that. That's a hair brush. Try the big black one.”
”Dis is a dude suit for fair,” observed Spike, pausing in his labors.
”Glad you like it, Spike.”
”It's de limit. Excuse me. How much of de long green did youse pungle for it, Mr. Chames?”
”I really can't remember,” said Jimmy, with a laugh. ”I could look up the bill and let you know. Seventy guineas, I fancy.”
”What's dat--guineas? Is dat more dan a pound?”
”A s.h.i.+lling more. Why?”