character of his friend Keith.  Keith was a good fellow but a hopeless crank; Keith was perfectly capable of impoverishing himself in order to keep Miss Wilberforce out of prison.  As to subscribing to the schemes of a pack of meddling fools who proposed to intern the dear lady—­Keith would see them all damned first.  This is how Mr. van Koppen, a profound student of human nature, would have argued, had he lacked the opportunity of discussing the question with his good friend.  As a matter of fact he had enjoyed that opportunity only a few days ago.  He had warned Keith of what was coming, and had found him equally alert to the plans of the Committee and more desirous than himself, if possible, of frustrating them.  They had chuckled vastly over a bottle of dry sparkling Nepenthe in anticipation of the event.

“Trust me,” said Keith.  “I’ll talk their heads off.”

“I’m glad I shan’t be there!” thought the American.

He knew his good friend.  Keith could be decidedly fatiguing, especially when dead sober.  He had all the Scotchman’s passion for dissecting the obvious, discovering new facets in the commonplace, and squeezing the last drop out of a foregone conclusion.

It was a thousand pities that the Duchess, in the exuberance of her triumph, spread abroad the news of the millionaire’s promise.  For that news had an unfortunate and unexpected result.  The Committee, which up till then had consisted of eight reputable members, now swelled, rapidly and mysteriously, to fourteen.  Six new gentlemen, including the unspeakable Mr. Hopkins, got themselves enrolled, and all six of them, as was afterwards made manifest, were persons of questionable integrity.  By dint of small donations to the fund varying from five to fifteen francs, they had contrived to have their names put down; it was worth while, they thought, to risk a small sum on the chance of getting a slice out of old Koppen’s half-million which could not possibly be used up in the rent or purchase of a three-roomed Sanatorium.

A committee of ladies and gentlemen, formed for charitable purposes, should be like Caesar’s wife.  This one had come to resemble the spouse of Claudius.  Had the upright and intelligent Mr. Freddy Parker still been its guiding spirit, he would soon have weeded out these undesirable elements and kept the pickings for himself.  But Mr. Parker, since his lady’s illness, seemed to be withdrawn from all worldly concerns.  He had become invisible.  And now that the lady was dead he would presumably grow more invisible than ever.  It was a severe blow to all concerned; to nobody more than to the Commissioner himself when, on emerging into society from his mourning retirement, he divined what a chance he had missed.