"Look here," interrupted Casimir; "was it you or Stasie?"
"Certainly not," answered the Doctor.
"Very well; then it was the boy. Say no more about it," said the brother-in-law, and he produced his cigar-case.
"I will say this much more," returned Desprez: "if that boy came and told me so himself, I should not believe him; and if I did believe him, so implicit is my trust, I should conclude that he had acted for the best."
"Well, well," said Casimir indulgently. "Have you a light? I must be going. And by the way, I wish you would let me sell your Turks for you. I always told you, it meant smash. I tell you so again. Indeed, it was partly that that brought me down. You never acknowledge my letters—a most unpardonable habit."
"My good brother," replied the Doctor blandly, "I have never denied your ability in business: but I can perceive your limitations."
"Egad, my friend, I can return the compliment," observed the man of business. "Your limitation is to be downright irrational."
"Observe the relative position," returned the Doctor with a smile. "It is your attitude to believe through thick and thin in one man's judgment—your own. I follow the same opinion, but critically and with open eyes. Which is the more irrational?—I leave it to yourself."
"O, my dear fellow!" cried Casimir, "stick to your Turks, stick to your stable-boy, go to the devil in
