"He has a scheme for trading in the South Pacific. He's a lunatic,and he's paid for six months. Send me quite recents when you get a chance, andcome back by Honolulu for directions. He's a lunatic," he says, "andyou'd better lose him somewhere and get a commission on the timesaved."

Then he hurried off the way you'd think he was a man with energy,instead of one that would sit still and let the weeds grow in hishair. But Craney went on buying chandeliers and chess-boards andclocks and women's things, such as dresses and ostrich-feathershats, and infant carriages, and parasols, and an allotment of assorteddinner-bells, and one side of a drug store. I don't know all therewas in his cases, only I judged there wasn't any monotony. I says:

"Maybe now you might be done."

He came aboard and looked thoughtful. Then he felt inside his pocket andpulled out a bunch of knitting needles, and looked thoughtful.

"Well," he says. "I rather wanted to look up some front porches,ready made, with door-knockers, but I didn't get to it. It's just aswell."