I fancy I've read an account of the great Sir Stephen Orme's first beginnings," he put in with a touch of sarcasm.
Sir Stephen reddened.
"I daresay.

It was the start, the commencement of the luck.

From the evening I took those stones in my hands--great Heaven! I can see the place now, the sunset on the hill; the dirty brat playing in the dust!--the luck has stood by me.

Everything I touched turned out right.
I left the diamond business and went in for land: wherever I bought land towns sprang up and the land increased in value a thousandfold.
Then I stood in with the natives: you've heard of the treaty--" Falconer nodded.
"The treaty that enabled you to hand over so many thousand square miles to the government in exchange for a knighthood." "No," said Sir Stephen, simply.

"I got that for another business; but I daresay the other thing helped.