of the very best, for he had been cognisant of these facts since the first moment he had met her:  but what he did feel was that she deserved to be rewarded in no uncertain manner.  And it seemed a happy coincidence to him that her birthday should be coming along in the next week or so.  Surely, felt Archie, he could whack up some sort of a not unjuicy gift for that occasion—­something pretty ripe that would make a substantial hit with the dear girl.  Surely something would come along to relieve his chronic impecuniosity for just sufficient length of time to enable him to spread himself on this great occasion.

And, as if in direct answer to prayer, an almost forgotten aunt in England suddenly, out of an absolutely blue sky, shot no less a sum than five hundred dollars across the ocean.  The present was so lavish and unexpected that Archie had the awed feeling of one who participates in a miracle.  He felt, like Herbert Parker, that the righteous was not forsaken.  It was the sort of thing that restored a fellow’s faith in human nature.  For nearly a week he went about in a happy trance:  and when, by thrift and enterprise—­that is to say, by betting Reggie van Tuyl that the New York Giants would win the opening game of the series against the Pittsburg baseball team—­he contrived to double his capital, what it amounted to was simply that life had nothing more to offer.  He was actually in a position to go to a thousand dollars for Lucille’s birthday present.  He gathered in Mr. van Tuyl, of whose taste in these matters he had a high opinion, and dragged him off to a jeweller’s on Broadway.

The jeweller, a stout, comfortable man, leaned on the counter and fingered lovingly the bracelet which he had lifted out of its nest of blue plush.  Archie, leaning on the other side of the counter, inspected the bracelet searchingly, wishing that he knew more about these things; for he had rather a sort of idea that the merchant was scheming to do him in the eyeball.  In a chair by his side, Reggie van Tuyl, half asleep as usual, yawned despondently.  He had permitted Archie to lug him into this shop; and he wanted to buy something and go.  Any form of sustained concentration fatigued Reggie.

“Now this,” said the jeweller, “I could do at eight hundred and fifty dollars.”

“Grab it!” murmured Mr. van Tuyl.

The jeweller eyed him approvingly, a man after his own heart; but Archie looked doubtful.  It was all very well for Reggie to tell him to grab it in that careless way.  Reggie was a dashed millionaire, and no doubt bought bracelets by the pound or the gross or what not; but he himself was in an entirely different position.

“Eight hundred and fifty dollars!” he said, hesitating.

“Worth it,” mumbled Reggie van Tuyl.

“More than worth it,” amended the jeweller.  “I can assure you that it is better value than you could get anywhere on Fifth Avenue.”