Mr. Lanyard: this giddy association of malefactors here present has the
honour to invite you to become a full-fledged working member and
stockholder of equal interest with the rest of us, participating in all
benefits of the organization, including police protection. And as added
inducement we're willing to waive initiation fee and dues. Do I make
myself clear?"
"But perfectly."
"It's like this: I've told you how we came together, the five of us,
including Jules and Monsieur le Comte de Lorgnes. Now we expect this
venture, our first, to pan out handsomely. There'll be a juicy melon
cut when we get to New York. There's a lot more--I think you
understand--than the Montalais plunder to whack up on. We'll make the
average get-rich-quick scheme look like playing store in the back-yard
with two pins the top price for anything on the shelves. And there
isn't any sane reason why we need stop at that. In fact, we don't mean
to. The Sybarite will make more voyages, and if anything should happen
to stop it, there are other means of making the U. S. Customs look
foolish. Each of us contributes valuable and essential services,
mademoiselle, the skipper, my kid-brother, even I--and I pull a strong
oar with the New York Police Department into the bargain.
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