"I have arranged for a few 'tableaux vivants' in the theatre to fill up a gap of time;"--he said carelessly--"Fashionable folks now-a-days get so soon tired of one amusement that it is necessary to provide several in order to distract the brains that cannot think, or discover any means of entertainment in themselves. As a matter of fact, people cannot even converse long together because they have nothing to say. Oh, don't bother to go out in the grounds on a tour of inspection just now,--leave a few surprises for yourself as well as for your company to-morrow. Come and have dinner!" He put his arm through mine and we entered the dining-room. Here the table was laid out with costly fruit, flowers and delicacies of every description,--four men-servants in scarlet and gold stood silently in waiting, with Amiel, in black as usual, behind his master's chair. We enjoyed a sumptuous repast served to perfection, and when it was finished, we strolled out in the grounds to smoke and talk. "You seem to do everything by magic, Lucio;"--I said, looking at him wonderingly--"All these lavish decorations,--these servants--" "Money, my dear fellow,--nothing but money"--he interrupted with a laugh--"Money, the devil's pass-key! you can have the retinue of a king without any of a king's responsibilities, if you only choose to pay for it. It is merely a question of cost." "And taste!" I reminded him. "True,--and taste. Some rich men there are who have less taste than a costermonger. I know one who has the egregious vulgarity to call the attention of his guests to the value of his goods and chattels. He pointed out for my admiration one day, an antique and hideous china plate, the only one of that kind in the world, and told me it was worth a thousand guineas. 'Break it,'--I said coolly--'You will then have the satisfaction of knowing you have destroyed a thousand guineas' worth of undesirable ugliness.' You should have seen his face! He showed me no more _curios_!" I laughed, and we walked slowly up and down for a few minutes in silence. Presently I became aware that my companion was looking at me intently, and I turned my head quickly to meet his eyes. He smiled. "I was just then thinking," he said, "what you would have done with your life if you had not inherited this fortune, and if,--if _I_ had not come your way?" "I should have starved, no doubt,"--I responded--"Died like a rat in a hole,--of want and wretchedness." "I rather doubt that;" he said meditatively--"It is just possible you might have become a great writer." "Why do you say that now?" I asked.