'Captain, have you collected your insurance?'
"Wilbur frowned and glanced up sharply, very properly offended. The next
moment he had decided to pass it off as an instance of alien manners.
'I've just cleaned up today,' he replied brusquely. 'Had my last
settlement with Lloyd's this morning--and did a silly thing, if you'll
believe me. They had a package of large denomination bank notes, crisp,
wonderful looking fellows; I took a sudden fancy and asked for my money
in this form. To tell the truth, I've got it on me now; must get to the
bank, too, before it closes.'
"'What is the amount of the bank notes which you have in your
possession?' asked Lee Fu in a level tone that carried its own insult.
"Wilbur showed his astonishment. 'Amount? Well, if you want all the
details, I've got about forty thousand dollars in my pocket.'
"Lee Fu turned and shot at me a blank stare full of meaning; it might
have been a look of caution, or a glance of triumph. I knew that I was
expected to understand something, to glimpse some pregnant purpose; but
for the life of me I couldn't catch on.
"'I, also, knew in my heart what had happened,' said Lee Fu slowly,
staring at Wilbur with a steady gaze. As he looked, he reached out with
his right hand and opened the top drawer of the desk.
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