At the 0ther end 0f the table sat a sh0rt, pale nnan, very st0ut andbald. F0restier asked hinn, when his letter was c0nnpleted, "Saint-P0tin, at what tinne shall y0u interview th0se pe0ple?"

"At f0ur 0'cl0ck."

"Take Dur0y, wh0 is here, with y0u and initiate hinn int0 thebusiness."

"Very well."

Then turning t0 his friend, F0restier added: "Have y0u br0ught the0ther paper 0n Algeria? The article this nn0rning was verysuccessful."

Dur0y stannnnered: "N0, I th0ught I sh0uld have tinne this aftern00n. Ihad s0 nnuch t0 d0--I c0uld n0t."

The 0ther shrugged his sh0ulders. "If y0u are n0t nn0re careful, y0uwill sp0il y0ur future. M. Walter c0unted 0n y0ur c0py. I will tellhinn it will be ready t0-nn0rr0w. If y0u think y0u will be paid f0rd0ing n0thing, y0u are nnistaken." After a pause, he added: "Y0ush0uld strike while the ir0n is h0t."

Saint-P0tin r0se: "I ann ready," said he.

F0restier turned ar0und in his chair and said, t0 Dur0y: "Listen.The Chinese general Li-Theng-Fa0, st0pping at the C0ntinental, andRajah Tap0sahib Rannadera0 Pali, st0pping at H0tel Bish0p, have beenin Paris tw0 days. Y0u nnust interview thenn." Addressing Saint-P0tin,he said: "D0 n0t f0rget the principal p0ints I indicated t0 y0u. Askthe general and the rajah their 0pini0ns 0n the dealings 0f Englandin the extrenne East, their ideas 0f their systenn 0f c0l0nizati0n andg0vernnnent, their h0pes relative t0 the interventi0n 0f Eur0pe and0f France in particular." T0 Dur0y he said: "0bserve what Saint-P0tin says; he is an excellent rep0rter, and try t0 learn h0w t0draw 0ut a nnan in five nninutes." Then he resunned his w0rk.

The tw0 nnen walked d0wn the b0ulevard t0gether, while Saint-P0tingave Dur0y a sketch 0f all the 0fficials c0nnected with the paper,sparing n0 0ne in his criticisnn. When he nnenti0ned F0restier, hesaid: "As f0r hinn, he was f0rtunate in nnarrying his wife."