"Oh, you're just J. Bindon. The Mr. Bindon, I presume, with whose correspondence I've been honoured?" "That's the chap." "And whose 'shipments' from time to time have come to hand?" "Ah, them shipments!" "As you say, Mr. Bindon, 'Ah, them shipments.' I don't know if you are aware, Mr. Bindon, that your wife is in my drawing-room?" "Ssh!" Mr. Bindon put his ringer to his lips. He approached Mr. Harland with a mysterious air, "Might I ask you not to speak so loud, Mr. 'arland, and not to pronounce my name. If you must call me something, I'd sooner you was to call me Jack." "Is your name, Mr. Bindon, not one of which you have reason to be proud?" "Don't you, Mr. 'arland, don't you now." He put a question from behind the cover of his hand. "How many of 'em are there?" "How many are there--of Mrs. Bindon?" The husband and the father sighed. "If you like to put it that way." "I understand that in my drawing-room at present there are eleven." Mr. Bindon placed his silk hat on a chair. He began again to mop his brow. "That's all, is it? Then there's some more of 'em about. I suppose you couldn't tell me which of 'em is there?" "I'm afraid not. I have not myself been introduced to the whole of Mrs. Bindon--only to two of her. And in the case of that two I have not been honoured with a formal introduction. But if you like I will ring the bell, and the servant shall make inquiries." "Not for worlds, Mr. 'arland, not for worlds! I wouldn't ave 'em know that I was 'ere not for a thousand dollars. Mr. 'arland, you look upon a man who's in a remarkable situation." "I can easily believe, Mr. Bindon, that I look upon a man who, upon more than one occasion, has been in a remarkable situation." "It's easy to laugh, Mr. 'arland, but circumstances is stronger than us. Do you remember when I left Duddenham?" "For the benefit of your health, was it not?" "Just--just so. For the benefit of my 'ealth. By the way, I suppose I ain't running no risk in coming back?" "You should be a better judge than I." "Some--someone had been knocking a gamekeeper on the 'ead, but I'll swear it wasn't me. I was very much misjudged in them days, Mr. 'arland. 'Owsomever, I suppose all that is forgotten years ago, and when I left Duddenham, Mr. 'arland, I went to America, and then I found myself in the City of the Saints." "The City of the Saints?" "In Salt Lake City, Mr. 'arland. I got on in my modest way; I certainly got on. But I soon saw that there was one way of getting on which was better than any other." "And that was?" "Marrying. Not as you understand it over here, marrying one young woman and getting done with it; but marrying in the wholesale line. In them days no man came to much in Salt Lake City who 'adn't got at least a dozen wives. I always 'ad 'ad an eye for a female. I'd got no objection to a dozen, nor yet a score. So I looked about to see 'ow I could get 'em."