"Thereareabouttwentyservantsinthehousewhiletheworkmenaremakingthealterations，"saidKale，"andthreeofthemdon'-theothersarelockedandbarred-andthenonlywithmypermission， ， sir， nobodycangetawaywithanythinginthisroom."
"Excellent， excellent！"."IamafraidIdidnotgiveyoucreditforbeingthefar-sightedbusinessmanthatyouare."Heturnedandglancedoverthecollectionofpicturesabstractedly."Acleverthief， though，"heventured，"mightcutavaluablepainting， forinstancetheRubens， outoftheframe， rollitup， concealitunderhiscoat， andescape."
Kalelaughedpleasantlyandshookhishead.
.
"Jennings，"saidKaletotheliveriedservantthere，"'tdisturbed."
DeLessepsnoticedtheRubensleaningcarelesslyagainstsomeotherpictures， withtheholyfaceoftheMadonnatowardthem."Really， MrKale，"heprotested，"， ！"
， andfinallythepicturewascarefullywrappedandplacedbeyondharm'sreach， whereupondeLessepsadjustedhimself， paper， easel， stool， andall， .
ThreedayslaterKalejusthappenedtodropin， andfoundtheartiststillathislabor.
"Ijustdroppedby，"heexplained，"？"
"Notatall，"saiddeLesseps，"？"HeturnedtheeaseltowardKale.
Themillionairegazedfromthattowardtheoriginalwhichstoodonachairnearby， andfrankadmirationfortheartist'seffortswasinhiseyes."Why， it'sfine！"heexclaimed."It'sjustasgoodastheotherone， andIbetyoudon'twantanyfivethousanddollarsforit-eh？"
， thendroppedintotheballroomwheretheartistwasjustgettinghisparaphernaliatogether， ， looselyrolledup.
Oneweekpassed， ， ， chattingpleasantlywithKale， ；.
'sofficeatpoliceheadquarters， 'sdeskandroaredathim."Itcostmefiftythousanddollars！"hedeclaredviolently."Whydon'tyoudosomething？Whatareyousittingtherestaringatmefor？"
"Don'texciteyourself， MrKale，"thedetectiveadvised."Iwillputmymenatworkrightnowtorecoverthe-the-WhatisaRubens， anyway？"
"It'sapicture！"bellowedMrKale."Apieceofcanvaswithsomepaintonit， anditcostmefiftythousanddollars-don'tyouforgetthat！"
， ， ；anintimationfromthereporteroftheobjectofhisvisitcauseddeLessepstoburstintowords.
"MonDieu！Itisoutrageous！"heexclaimed."WhatcanIdo？！？"
