Soames sighed in gentle rapture, and, soft-footed, passed into his own room.

Certainly his duties were neither difficult nor unpleasant.  The mistress of the house lived apparently in a hazy dream-world of her own, and Mr. Leroux was the ultimate expression of the non-commercial.  Mr. Soames could have robbed him every day had he desired to do so; but he had refrained from availing himself even of those perquisites which he considered justly his; for it was evident, to his limited intelligence, that greater profit was to be gained by establishing himself in this household than by weeding-out five shillings here, and half-a-sovereign there, at the risk of untimely dismissal.

Yet—­it was a struggle!  All Mr. Soames’ commercial instincts were up in arms against this voice of a greater avarice which counseled abstention.  For instance:  he could have added half-a-sovereign a week to his earnings by means of a simple arrangement with the local wine merchant.  Leroux’s cigars he could have sold by the hundreds; for Leroux, when a friend called, would absently open a new box, entirely forgetful of the fact that a box from which but two—­or at most three—­cigars had been taken, lay already on the bureau.

Mr. Soames, in order to put his theories to the test, had temporarily abstracted half-a-dozen such boxes from the study and the dining-room and had hidden them.  Leroux, finding, as he supposed, that he was out of cigars, had simply ordered Soames to get him some more.

“Er—­about a dozen boxes—­er—­Soames,” he had said; “of the same sort!”

Was ever a man of business submitted to such an ordeal?  After receiving those instructions, Soames had sat for close upon an hour in his own room, contemplating the six broken boxes, containing in all some five hundred and ninety cigars; but the voice within prevailed; he must court no chance of losing his situation; therefore, he “discovered” these six boxes in a cupboard—­much to Henry Leroux’s surprise!

Then, Leroux regularly sent him to the Charing Cross branch of the London County and Suburban Bank with open checks!  Sometimes, he would be sent to pay in, at other times to withdraw; the amounts involved varying from one guinea to 150 pounds!  But, as he told himself, on almost every occasion that he went to Leroux’s bank, he was deliberately throwing money away, deliberately closing his eyes to the good fortune which this careless and gullible man cast in his path.  He observed a scrupulous honesty in all these dealings, with the result that the bank manager came to regard him as a valuable and trustworthy servant, and said as much to the assistant manager, expressing his wonder that Leroux—­whose account occasioned the bank more anxiety, and gave it more work, than that of any other two depositors—­had at last engaged a man who would keep his business affairs in order!

And these were but a few of the golden apples which Mr. Soames permitted to slip through his fingers, so steadfast was he in his belief that Gianapolis would be as good as his word, and make his fortune.