DIAMOND DREAMS
35
‘ You bounder ! ’ shouted Hippolyte, trembling with rage. But Bender remained perfectly cahn. ‘ Listen, my friend. Don’t you know the diamonds are almost in my pocket, and that you only interest me because I want to provide for your old age ? It was only then that Hippolyte realized what an iron grip held him by the throat. ‘ Twenty per cent,’ he said gloomily. ' And my board ? ’ asked Bender sarcastically. ‘ Twenty-five.’ ‘ And the key of my room ? ’ ' But that means thirty-seven and a half thousand ! ‘ Why such accuracy ? Well, then, let s say fifty per cent. Half to you and half to me. The bargaining continued until in the end, out of respect for Hippolyte, Bender agreed to work for forty per cent. ‘ Sixty thousand ! ’ cried Hippolyte. ‘ You’re rather a mean fellow. You love money more than you should.’ ‘ Don’t you love money ? ’ said Hippolyte. ‘ Certainly not ! ’ , ‘ Then what do you want sixty thousand for i ' On principle.’ Hippolyte sighed. . ‘ Well,’ asked Bender, ' is the ice broken i Hippolyte groaned and then said meekly . Yes, it’s broken.’ ,
- Let’s shake hands on it, old marshal of the district
scouts. The ice is broken ! ” Hippolyte was offended at being called the marshal of the district scouts. He insisted on an apology, and after Bender had called him a field-marshal in his apology they began to work out the plan.
At midnight the porter came home ; after hanging
