He then gave me a bill of exchange payable at sight in eight days on M. Genaro de Carlo.  I told him that the ingredients were lead and bismuth; the first, combining with mercury, and the second giving to the whole the perfect fluidity necessary to strain it through the chamois leather.  The Greek went out to try the amalgam—­I do not know where, and I dined alone, but toward evening he came back, looking very disconsolate, as I had expected.

“I have made the amalgam,” he said, “but the mercury is not perfect.”

“It is equal to that which I have sold in Portici, and that is the very letter of your engagement.”

“But my engagement says likewise without injury to the quality.  You must agree that the quality is injured, because it is no longer susceptible of further augmentation.”

“You knew that to be the case; the point is its equality with the mercury I sold in Portici.  But we shall have to go to law, and you will lose.  I am sorry the secret should become public.  Congratulate yourself, sir, for, if you should gain the lawsuit, you will have obtained my secret for nothing.  I would never have believed you capable of deceiving me in such a manner.”

“Reverend sir, I can assure you that I would not willingly deceive any one.”

“Do you know the secret, or do you not?  Do you suppose I would have given it to you without the agreement we entered into?  Well, there will be some fun over this affair in Naples, and the lawyers will make money out of it.  But I am much grieved at this turn of affairs, and I am very sorry that I allowed myself to be so easily deceived by your fine talk.  In the mean time, here are your fifty ounces.”

As I was taking the money out of my pocket, frightened to death lest he should accept it, he left the room, saying that he would not have it.  He soon returned; we had supper in the same room, but at separate tables; war had been openly declared, but I felt certain that a treaty of peace would soon be signed.  We did not exchange one word during the evening, but in the morning he came to me as I was getting ready to go.  I again offered to return the money I received, but he told me to keep it, and proposed to give me fifty ounces more if I would give him back his bill of exchange for two thousand.  We began to argue the matter quietly, and after two hours of discussion I gave in.  I received fifty ounces more, we dined together like old friends, and embraced each other cordially.  As I was bidding him adieu, he gave me an order on his house at Naples for a barrel of muscatel wine, and he presented me with a splendid box containing twelve razors with silver handles, manufactured in the Tour-du-Grec.  We parted the best friends in the world and well pleased with each other.