In less than twenty-four hours all London was abuzz! I hadn't anything to do, day after day, but sit at home and say to everyone who asked 'Yes; I told him to use my name.'

'I know the man, and I know the mine. The man is completely honest and reliable, and the mine is worth far more than he asks for it.'

Meantime I spent all my evenings at the ambassador's with Portia. I didn't say a word to her about the mine; I saved it for a surprise.

We talked salary; never anything but salary and love; sometimes love, sometimes salary, sometimes love and salary together. The ambassador's wife and daughter took great interest in our little love affair.

They were endlessly ingenious at finding ways to save us from interruption. And so they kept the ambassador in the dark and unsuspicious - well, it was just lovely of them!

When the month was up at last, I had a million dollars in my bank account in the London and County Bank, and Hastings had the same.

Dressed in my best clothes, I drove by the house in Portland Place. I judged by the look of the house that my birds were home again.

Therefore I went on to the ambassador's and got my precious Portia, and we started back, talking salary with all our might. She was so excited and anxious that it made her just intolerably beautiful.