He passed on down the room, chuckling to himself; and the Major said, “That’s Maltby Symmes.  Have you heard of him?”

“No,” said Montague.

“He gets into the papers a good deal.  He was up in supplementary proceedings the other day—­couldn’t pay his liquor bill.”

“A member of the Millionaires’?” laughed Montague.

“Yes, the papers made quite a joke out of it,” said the other.  “But you see he’s run through a couple of fortunes; the last was his mother’s—­eleven millions, I believe.  He’s been a pretty lively old boy in his time.”

The vinegar and oil had now arrived, and the Major set to work to dress the salad.  This was quite a ceremony, and Montague took it with amused interest.  The Major first gathered all the necessary articles together, and looked them all over and grumbled at them.  Then he mixed the vinegar and the pepper and salt, a tablespoonful at a time, and poured it over the salad.  Then very slowly and carefully the oil had to be poured on, the salad being poked and turned about so that it would be all absorbed.  Perhaps it was because he was so busy narrating the escapades of Maltty Symmes that the old gentleman kneaded it about so long; all the time fussing over it like a hen-partridge with her chicks, and interrupting himself every sentence or two:  “It was Lenore, the opera star, and he gave her about two hundred thousand dollars’ worth of railroad shares. (Really, you know, romaine ought not to be served in a bowl at all, but in a square, flat dish, so that one could keep the ends quite dry.) And when they quarrelled, she found the old scamp had fooled her—­the shares had never been transferred. (One is not supposed to use a fork at all, you know.) But she sued him, and he settled with her for about half the value. (If this dressing were done properly, there ought not to be any oil in the bottom of the dish at all.)”

This last remark meant that the process had reached its climax—­that the long, crisp leaves were receiving their final affectionate overturnings.  While the waiter stood at respectful attention, two or three pieces at a time were laid carefully upon the little silver plate intended for Montague.  “And now,” said the triumphant host, “try it!  If it’s good, it ought to be neither sweet nor bitter, but just right.”—­And he watched anxiously while Montague tasted it, saying, “If it’s the least bit bitter, say so; and we’ll send it out.  I’ve told them about it often enough before.”

But it was not bitter, and so the Major proceeded to help himself, after which the waiter whisked the bowl away.  “I’m told that salad is the one vegetable we have from the Romans,” said the old boy, as he munched at the crisp green leaves.  “It’s mentioned by Horace, you know.—­As I was saying, all this was in Symmes’s early days.  But since his son’s been grown up, he’s married another chorus-girl.”

After the salad the Major had another cocktail.  In the beginning Montague had noticed that his hands shook and his eyes were watery; but now, after these copious libations, he was vigorous, and, if possible, more full of anecdotes than ever.  Montague thought that it would be a good time to broach his inquiry, and so when the coffee had been served, he asked, “Have you any objections to talking business after dinner?”