Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

Rewards and Fairies
gain something if you returned the ship—with a message of ‘Boney smiles. “It’s a swindle,” says he, but he signed and
fraternal good-will—published in the Moniteur” (that’s a pushed the paper across.
French paper like the Philadelphia Aurora).
‘“Give that to the President of the Prize Court at Le Havre,”
‘“A good idea!” Boney answers. “One could say much in a says Talleyrand, “and he will give you back your ship. I will
message.”
settle for the cargo myself. You have told me how much it
‘“It might be useful,” says Talleyrand. “Shall I have the mes- cost. What profit did you expect to make on it?”
sage prepared?” He wrote something in a little pocket ledger. ‘Well, then, as man to man, I was bound to warn him that
‘“Yes—for me to embellish this evening. The Moniteur will I’d set out to run it into England without troubling the Rev-
publish it tonight.”
enue, and so I couldn’t rightly set bounds to my profits.’
‘“Certainly. Sign, please,” says Talleyrand, tearing the leaf
out.
‘I guessed that all along,’ said Puck.
‘“But that’s the order to return the brig,” says Boney. “Is ‘There was never a Lee to Warminghurst—
that necessary? Why should I lose a good ship? Haven’t I lost
enough ships already?” ‘Talleyrand didn’t answer any of those
That wasn’t a smuggler last and first.’
questions. Then Boney sidled up to the table and jabs his pen The children laughed.
into the ink. Then he shies at the paper again: “My signature ‘It’s comical enough now,’ said Pharaoh. ‘But I didn’t laugh
alone is useless,” he says. “You must have the other two Con- then. Says Talleyrand after a minute, “I am a bad accountant
suls as well. Sieyes and Roger Ducos must sign. We must pre- and I have several calculations on hand at present. Shall we
serve the Laws.”
say twice the cost of the cargo?”
‘“By the time my friend presents it,” says Talleyrand, still ‘Say? I couldn’t say a word. I sat choking and nodding like
looking out of window, “only one signature will be necessary.” a China image while he wrote an order to his secretary to pay
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