“A Parisian diamond merchant and banker, a personal friend of Bonaparte.  The belief is that he came over here as a special emissary of the Consulate.  Of course he brought a letter to that other illustrious agent, and to the amazement of everybody he married her.  They must handle thousands of French money between them.  France would be something more than glad to hear of your elimination from this complicated American problem; particularly, if you demonstrate your power by crushing this last hope of Burr’s.  I doubt if Burr would call you out with no stronger motive than a desire for personal revenge.  He is no fool, and he knows that if he kills you, he had better put a bullet through his own brain at once.  He is a sanguine man, but not so sanguine as not to know that if he compassed your death, he would be hounded into exile.  But he is in a more desperate way financially than ever.  He can borrow no more, and his debtors are clamouring.  If he is defeated in this election, and the Jumels are sharp enough to take advantage of his fury and despair,—­I think she has been watching her chance for years; and the talk is, she is anxious, for her own reasons, to get rid of Burr, besides,—­I believe that a large enough sum would tempt Burr to call you out—­”

“He certainly is hard up,” interrupted Hamilton, “for he rang my front door bell at five o’clock this morning, and when I let him in he went on like a madman and begged me to let him have several thousands, or Richmond Hill would be sold over his head.”

“And you gave them to him, I suppose?  How much have you lent him altogether?  I know from Washington Morton that Burr borrowed six hundred dollars of you through him.”

“I lent him the six hundred, partly because his desperate plight appeals to me—­I believe him to be the unhappiest wretch in America—­and more because I don’t want Europe laughing at the spectacle of a Vice-President of the United States in Debtor’s prison.  Of course I can’t lend him this last sum myself, but I have promised to raise it for him.”

“Well, I argue with you no more about throwing away money.  Did you listen to what I said about Madame Jumel?”

“With the deepest interest.  It was most ingenious, and does honour to your imagination.”  Troup, with an angry exclamation, sprang to his feet.  Hamilton deftly caught him by the ankle and his great form sprawled on the grass.  He arose in wrath.

“You are no older than one of your own young ones!” he began; then recovered, and resumed his seat.  “This is the latest story I have heard of you,” he continued:  “Some man from New England came here recently with a letter to you.  When he returned to his rural home he was asked if he had seen the great man.  ‘I don’t know about the great’ he replied; ‘but he was as playful as a kitten.’”

Hamilton laughed heartily.  “Well, let me frolic while I may,” he said.  “I shall die by Burr’s hand, no doubt of that.  Whether he kills me for revenge or money, that is my destiny, and I have known it for years.  And it does not matter in the least, my dear Bob.  I have not three years of life left in me.”