“I’ll have you remember,” said McMunn, “that it’s not pleasuring we’re out for.” “It’s serious business. Smuggling rifles in the teeth of a Royal Proclamation is----” “When I understand,” said McMunn, “and you understand, where’s the use of saying what we’re going for? I’m taking risks enough anyway, without unnecessary talking. You never know who’s listening to you.” “About paying for the--er--the--er--our cargo? Is that all arranged?” “They’ll be paid in bills on a Hamburg bank,” said McMunn. “Won’t they expect cash? I should have thought that in transactions of this kind----” “You’re not a business man, my lord; but I’d have you know that a bill with the name of McMunn to it is the same as cash in any port in Europe.” “Well, that’s your part of the affair. I am leaving that to you.” “You may leave it. What I say I’ll do. But there’s one thing that I’m no quite easy in my mind about.” “If you’re thinking about the landing of the guns----” “I’m no asking what arrangements you’ve made about that. The fewer there is that knows what’s being done in a business of this kind, the better for all concerned. What’s bothering me is this. There’s a man called Edelstein.” “Who’s he? I never heard of him before.” “He’s the Baron von Edelstein, if that’s any help to you.” “It isn’t. He’s not the man we’re buying the stuff from.” “He is not. Nor he wasn’t mentioned from first to last till the letter I got the day.” He turned to the safe beside him and drew out a bundle of papers held together by an elastic band. “That’s the whole of the correspondence,” he said, “and there’s the last of it.” He handed a letter to Lord Dunseverick, who read it through carefully. “This baron,” he said, “whoever he is, intends to pay his respects to us before we leave Hamburg. Very civil of him.” “It’s a civility we could do without. When I’m doing business I’d rather do it with business men, and a baron, you’ll understand, is no just----” “I’m a baron myself,” said Lord Dunseverick. “Ay, you are.” McMunn said no more. He left it to be understood that his opinion of barons in general was not improved by his acquaintance with Lord Dunseverick. “I don’t think we need bother about Von Eddstein, anyway,” said Lord Dunseverick. “What harm can he do us?” “I’m no precisely bothering about him,” said McMunn; “but I’d be easier in my mind if I knew what he wanted with us.” “We sail to-night, anyway,” said Lord Dunseverick. “Ay, we do. I tell’t Ginty. He’s the captain of _The McMunn Brothers_, and a good man.” “I’ve met him. In fact----” “If you’ve met Ginty you’ve met a man who knows his business, though I wish he’d give over drinking whisky. However, he’s a strong Protestant and a sound man, and you can’t expect perfection.” “Capital!” said Lord Dunseverick. “It’s a great comfort to be sure of one’s men.”