I see it in the twinkle of your eye: but you
can't deceive me again."

"Deceive you?" said the jolly schemer,
shaking his head reverentially. "Deceive a
man of your penetration and depth? Impossible!
The bare supposition is flattery. My
dear friend," he continued, soothingly, "I did
not dream of such a thing. The fact is, Bonelle,
though they call me a jovial, careless, rattling
dog, I have a conscience; and, somehow, I have
never felt quite easy about the way in which I
became your successor down-stairs. It was
rather sharp practice, I admit."

Bonelle seemed to relent.

"Now for it," said the Opportunity-hunter
to himself.—"By-the-by," (speaking aloud,)
"this house must be a great trouble to you in
your present weak state? Two of your lodgers
have lately gone away without paying—a
great nuisance, especially to an invalid."

"I tell you I'm as sound as a colt."

"At all events, the whole concern must be
a great bother to you. If I were you, I would
sell the house."

"And if I were you" returned the landlord,
dryly, "I would buy it——"

"Precisely," interrupted the tenant, eagerly.

"That is, if you could get it. Phoo! I
knew you were after something. Will you
give eighty thousand francs for it?" abruptly
asked Monsieur Bonelle.

"Eighty thousand francs! " echoed Ramin.
"Do you take me for Louis Philippe or the
Bank of France?"

"Then, we'll say no more about it—are
you not afraid of leaving your shop so long?"

Ramin returned to the charge, heedless of
the hint to depart. "The fact is, my good
old friend, ready money is not my strong
point just now. But if you wish very much
to be relieved of the concern, what say you
to a life annuity? I could manage that."

Monsieur Bonelle gave a short, dry, churchyard
cough, and looked as if his life were not
worth an hour's purchase. "You think yourself
immensely clever, I dare say," he said.
"They have persuaded you that I am dying.
Stuff! I shall bury you yet."

The mercer glanced at the thin fragile
frame, and exclaimed to himself, "Deluded
old gentleman!" "My dear Bonelle," he
continued, aloud, "I know well the strength
of your admirable constitution; but allow
me to observe that you neglect yourself
too much. Now, suppose a good sensible
doctor——."

"Will you pay him?" interrogated Bonelle
sharply.

"Most willingly," replied Ramin, with an
eagerness that made the old man smile. "As
to the annuity, since the subject annoys you,
we will talk of it some other time."

"After you have heard the doctor's report,"
sneered Bonelle.

The mercer gave him a stealthy glance,
which the old man's keen look immediately
detected. Neither could repress a smile:
these good souls understood one another
perfectly, and Ramin saw that this was not the
Excellent Opportunity he desired, and
departed.

The next day Ramin sent a neighbouring
medical man, and heard it was his opinion
that if Bonelle held on for three months longer,
it would be a miracle. Delightful news!

Several days elapsed, and although very
anxious, Ramin assumed a careless air, and did
not call upon his landlord, or take any notice of
him. At the end of the week old Marguerite
entered the shop to make a trifling purchase.

"And how are we getting on up-stairs?"
negligently asked Monsieur Ramin.

"Worse and worse, my good Sir," she
sighed. "We have rheumatic pains, which
make us often use expressions the reverse of
Christian-like, and yet nothing can induce us
to see either the lawyer or the priest; the
gout is getting nearer to our stomach every
day, and still we go on talking about the
strength of our constitution. Oh, Sir, if you
have any influence with us, do, pray do, tell
us how wicked it is to die without making
one's will or confessing one's sins."

"I shall go up this very evening,"
ambiguously replied Monsieur Ramin.

He kept his promise, and found Monsieur
Bonelle in bed, groaning with pain, and in
the worst of tempers.

"What poisoning doctor did you send?" he
asked, with an ireful glance; "I want no
doctor, I am not ill; I will not follow his
prescription; he forbade me to eat; I will
eat."

"He is a very clever man," said the visitor.
"He told me that never in the whole course
of his experience has he met with what he
called so much 'resisting power' as exists in
your frame. He asked me if you were not of
a long-lived race."

"That is as people may judge," replied
Monsieur Bonelle. "All I can say is, that
my grandfather died at ninety, and my father
at eighty-six."

"The doctor owned that you had a wonderfully
strong constitution."

"Who said I hadn't? " exclaimed the
invalid feebly.

"You may rely on it, you would preserve
your health better if you had not the trouble
of these vexatious lodgers. Have you thought
about the life annuity?" said Ramin as
carelessly as he could, considering how near the
matter was to his hopes and wishes.

"Why, I have scruples," returned Bonelle,
coughing. "I do not wish to take you in.
My longevity would be the ruin of you."

"To meet that difficulty," quickly replied
the mercer, "we can reduce the interest."

"But I must have high interest," placidly
returned Monsieur Bonelle.

Ramin, on hearing this, burst into a loud
fit of laughter, called Monsieur Bonelle a sly
old fox, gave him a poke in the ribs, which
made the old man cough for five minutes, and