Sometimes, indeed, the
fly got the better of spider number one, but was unable to keep away
from the web, and was sure to fall into the web of spider number
two.
M. Vandeloup, therefore, considered the whole affair as too risky to
be gone into without unlimited cash; but now he had a chance of
making money, he determined to try his hand at the business. True,
he knew that he was in for a swindle, but then he was behind the
scenes, and would benefit by the knowledge he had gained. If the
question at issue had really been that of getting gold out of the
reef and paying dividends with the profits, Gaston would have
snapped his fingers scornfully, and held aloof; but this was simply
a running up of shares by means of a rich reef being struck. He
intended to buy at the present market value, which was four
shillings, and sell as soon as he could make a good profit--say, at
one pound--so there was not much chance of him losing his money. The
shares would probably drop again when the pocket of gold was worked
out, but then that would be none of his affair, as he would by that
time have sold out and made his pile. M. Vandeloup was a fly who was
going straight into the webs of stockbroking spiders, but then he
knew as much about this particular web as the spiders themselves.
Full of his scheme to make money, Vandeloup started for town to see
a broker--first, however, having settled with Mrs Pulchop over
Kitty's disappearance.
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