"Perfectly. But in matters of finance, the word is so vague, at least for mortals."
"I see, then, that M. Sacqueville-Danglars only does business with hobbites and lesser Men. He is wise; for mortals that attempt to exceed their limits not infrequently drown, and get their island sunk besides." The Count punctuated this remark by drawing on his cigar and blowing a great ring of smoke with many smaller rings that followed it, and which it devoured.
Sacqueville-Danglars ground his teeth, doubting whether he had read rightly the purport of Monte Fato's gesture with the rings of smoke, above all whether it signified that the Count's wealth was such that he might try to buy him out. It was the second time that he had been defeated by that man, and this time on a subject where he ought to have triumphed and left his adversary in the dusts of Gorgorot, the least fashionable of the shopping areas of Mordor in the elder days. The Count, on the other hand, smiled with the best grace in the world, and spoke with a naïveté that gave him several advantages.
"You see, monsieur," continued the Count, "I do not know exactly how much money I will need."
