bond liked anonymity. his 'yes, it is' was discouraging.

'well, that's a mighty rare coincidence.' the man held out his hand. bond rose slowly, took the hand and released it. the hand was pulpy and unarticulated - like a hand-shaped mud pack, or an inflated rubber glove. 'my name is du pont. junius du pont. i guess you won't remember me, but we've met before. mind if i sit down?'

the face, the name? yes, there was something familiar. long ago. not in america. bond searched the files while he summed the man up. mr du pont was about fifty - pink, clean-shaven and dressed in the conventional disguise with which brooks brothers cover the shame of american millionaires. he wore a single-breasted dark tan tropical suit and a white silk shirt with a shallow collar. the rolled ends of the collar were joined by a gold safety pin beneath the knot of a narrow dark red and blue striped tie that fractionally wasn't the brigade of guards'. the cuffs of the shirt protruded half an inch below the cuffs of the coat and showed cabochon crystal links containing miniature trout flies. the socks were charcoal-grey silk and the shoes were old and polished mahogany and hinted peal. the man carried a dark, narrow-brimmed straw homburg with a wide claret ribbon.

mr du pont sat down opposite bond and produced cigarettes and a plain gold zippo lighter. bond noticed that he was sweating slightly. he decided that mr du pont was what he appeared to be, a very rich american, mildly embarrassed. he knew he had seen him before, but he had no idea where or when.

'smoke?'

'thank you.' it was a parliament. bond affected not to notice the offered lighter. he disliked held-out lighters. he picked up his own and lit the cigarette.

trance, '51, royale les eaux.' mr du pont looked eagerly at bond. 'that casino. ethel, that's mrs du pont, and me were next to you at the table the night you had the big game with the frenchman.'

bond's memory raced back. yes, of course. the du ponts had been nos 4 and 5 at the baccarat table. bond had been 6. they had seemed harmless people. he had been glad to have such a solid bulwark on his left .on that fantastic night when he had broken le chiffre. now bond saw it all again - the bright pool of light on the green baize, the pink crab hands across the table scuttling out for the cards. he smelled the smoke and the harsh tang of his own sweat. that had been a night! bond looked across at mr du pont and smiled at the memory. 'yes, of course i remember. sorry i was slow. but that was quite a night. i wasn't thinking of much except my cards.'

mr du pont grinned back, happy and relieved. 'why, gosh, mr bond. of course i understand. and i do hope you'll pardon me for butting in. you see…' he snapped his ringers for a waitress. 'but we must have a drink to celebrate. what'll you have?'

'thanks. bourbon on the rocks.'

'and dimple haig and water.' the waitress went away.

mr du pont leant forward, beaming. a whiff of soap or after-shave lotion came across the table. lentheric? 'i knew it was you. as soon as i saw you sitting there. but i thought to myself, junius, you don't often make an error over a face, but let's just go make sure. well, i was flying transamerican tonight and, when they announced the delay, i watched your expression and, if you'll pardon me, mr bond, it was pretty clear from the look on your face that you had been flying transamerican too.' he waited for bond to nod. he hurried on. 'so i ran down to the ticket counter and had me a look at the passenger list. sure enough, there it was, "j. bond".'

mr du pont sat back, pleased with his cleverness. the drinks came. he raised his glass. 'your very good health, sir. this sure is my lucky day.'

bond smiled non-committally and drank.

mr du pont leant forward again. he looked round. there was nobody at the nearby tables. nevertheless he lowered his voice. 'i guess you'll be saying to yourself, well, it's nice to see junius du pont again, but what's the score? why's he so particularly happy at seeing me on just this night?' mr. du pont raised his eyebrows as if acting bond's part for him. bond put on a face of polite inquiry. mr du pont leant still farther across the table. 'now, i hope you'll forgive me, mr bond. it's not like me to pry into other people's secre… er - affairs. but, after that game at royale, i did hear that you were not only a grand card player, but also that you were - er - how shall i put it? - that you were a sort of - er - investigator. you know, kind of intelligence operative.' mr du font's indiscretion had made him go very red in the face. he sat back and took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. he looked anxiously at bond.

bond shrugged his shoulders. the grey-blue eyes that looked into mr du font's eyes, which had turned hard and watchful despite his embarrassment, held a mixture of candour, irony and self-deprecation. 'i used to dabble in that kind of thing. hangover from the.war. one still thought it was fun playing red indians. but there's no future in it in peacetime.'

'quite, quite.' mr du pont made a throwaway gesture with the hand that held the cigarette. his eyes evaded bond's as he put the next question, waited for the next lie. (bond thought, there's a wolf in this brooks brothers clothing. this is a shrewd man.) 'and now you've settled down?' mr du pont smiled paternally. 'what did you choose, if you'll pardon the question?'

'import and export. i'm with universal. perhaps you've come across them.'

mr du pont continued to play the game. 'hm. universal. let me see. why, yes, sure i've heard of them. can't say i've ever done business with them, but i guess it's never too late.' he chuckled fatly. 'i've got quite a heap of interests all over the place. only stuff i can honestly say i'm not interested in is chemicals. maybe it's my misfortune, mr bond, but i'm not one of the chemical du fonts.'

bond decided that the man was quite satisfied with the particular brand of du pont he happened to be. he made no comment. he glanced at his watch to hurry mr du font's play of the hand. he made a note to handle his own cards carefully. mr du pont had a nice pink kindly baby-face with a puckered, rather feminine turn-down mouth. he looked as harmless as any of the middle-aged americans with cameras who stand outside buckingham palace. but bond sensed many tough, sharp qualities behind the fuddyduddy facade.

mr du font's sensitive eye caught bond's glance at his watch. he consulted his own. 'my, oh my! seven o'clock and here i've been talking away without coming to the point. now, see here, mr bond. i've got me a problem on which i'd greatly appreciate your guidance. if you can spare me the time and if you were counting on stopping over in miami tonight i'd reckon it a real favour if you'd allow me to be your host.' mr du pont held up his hand. 'now, i think i can promise to make you comfortable. so happens i own a piece of the floridiana. maybe you heard we opened around christmas time? doing a great business i'm happy to say. really pushing that little old fountain blue,' mr du pont laughed indulgently. 'that's what we call the fontainebleau down here. now, what do you say, mr bond? you shall have the best suite - even if it. means putting some good paying customers out on the sidewalk. and you'd be doing me a real favour.' mr du pont looked imploring.

bond had already decided to accept - blind. whatever mr du font's problem - blackmail, gangsters, women - it would be some typical form of rich man's worry. here was a slice of the easy life he had been asking for. take it. bond started to say something politely deprecating. mr du pont interrupted. 'please, please, mr bond. and believe me, i'm grateful, very grateful indeed.' he snapped his fingers for the waitress. when she came, he turned away from bond and settled the bill out of bond's sight. like many very rich men he considered that showing his money, letting someone see how much he tipped, amounted to indecent exposure. he thrust his roll back into his trousers pocket (the hip pocket is not the place among the rich) and took bond by the arm. he sensed bond's resistance to the contact and removed his hand. they went down the stairs to the main hall.

'now, let's just straighten out your reservation.' mr du pont headed for the transamerica ticket counter. in a few curt phrases mr du pont showed his power and efficiency in his own, his american, realm.

'yes, mr du pont. surely, mr du pont. i'll take care of that, mr du pont.'

outside, a gleaming chrysler imperial sighed up to the kerb. a tough-looking chauffeur in a biscuit-coloured uniform hurried to open the door. bond stepped in and settled down in the soft upholstery. the interior of the car was de-liciously cool, almost cold. the transamerican representative bustled out with bond's suitcase, handed it to the chauffeur and, with a half-bow, went back into the terminal. 'bill's on the beach,' said mr du pont to the chauffeur and the big car slid away through the crowded parking lots and out on to the parkway.

mr du pont settled back. 'hope you like stone crabs, mr bond. ever tried them?'

bond said he had, that he liked them very much.

mr du pont talked about bill's on the beach and about the relative merits of stone and alaska crab meat while the chrysler imperial sped through downtown miami, along biscayne boulevard and across biscayne bay by the douglas macarthur causeway. bond made appropriate comments, letting himself be carried along on the gracious stream of speed and comfort and rich small-talk.

they drew up at a white-painted, mock-regency frontage in clapboard and stucco. a scrawl of pink neon said: bill's on the beach. while bond got out, mr du pont gave his instructions to the chauffeur. bond heard the words. 'the aloha suite,' and 'if there's any trouble, tell mr fairlie to call me here. right?'

they went up the steps. inside, the big room was decorated in white with pink muslin swags over the windows. there were pink lights on the tables. the restaurant was crowded with sunburned people in expensive tropical get-ups . - brilliant garish shirts, jangling gold bangles, dark glasses with jewelled rims, cute native straw hats. there was a confusion of scents. the wry smell of bodies that had been all day in the sun came through.

bill, a pansified italian, hurried towards them. 'why, mr du pont. is a pleasure, sir. little crowded tonight. soon fix you up. please this way please.' holding a large leather-bound menu above his head the man weaved his way between the diners to the best table in the room, a corner table for six. he pulled out two chairs, snapped his ringers for the maitre d'hotel and the wine waiter, spread two menus in front of them, exchanged compliments with mr du pont and left them.

mr du pont slapped his menu shut. he said to bond, 'now, why don't you just leave this to me? if there's anything you don't like, send it back.' and to the head waiter, 'stone crabs. not frozen. fresh. melted butter. thick toast. right?'

'very good, mr du pont.' the wine waiter, washing his hands, took the waiter's place.

'two pints of pink champagne. the pommery '50. silver tankards. right?'

'vairry good, mr du pont. a cocktail to start?'

mr du pont turned to bond. he smiled and raised his eyebrows.

bond said, 'vodka martini, please. with a slice of lemon peel.'

'make it two,' said mr du pont. 'doubles.' the wine waiter hurried off. mr du pont sat back and produced his cigarettes and lighter. he looked round the room, answered one or two waves with a smile and a lift of the hand and glanced at the neighbouring tables. he edged his chair nearer to bond's. 'can't help the noise, i'm afraid,' he said apologetically. 'only come here for the crabs. they're out of this-world. hope you're not allergic to them. once brought a girl here and fed her crabs and her lips swelled up like cycle tyres.'

bond was amused at the change in mr du pont - this racy talk, the authority of manner once mr du pont thought he had got bond on the hook, on his payroll. he was a different man from the shy embarrassed suitor who had solicited bond at the airport. what did mr du pont want from bond? it would be coming any minute now, the proposition. bond said, 'i haven't got any allergies.'

'good, good.'

there was a pause. mr du pont snapped the lid of his lighter up and down several times. he realized he was making an irritating noise and pushed it away from him. he made up his mind. he said, speaking at his hands on the table in front of him, 'you ever play canasta, mr bond?'

'yes, it's a good game. i like it.'

'two-handed canasta?'

'i have done. it's not so much fun. if you don't make a fool of yourself - if neither of you do - it tends to even out. law of averages in the cards. no chance of making much difference in the play.'

mr du pont nodded emphatically. 'just so. that's what i've said to myself. over a hundred games or so, two equal players will end up equal. not such a good game as gin or oklahoma, but in a way that's just what i like about it. you pass the time, you handle plenty of cards, you have your ups and downs, no one gets hurt. right?'

bond nodded. the martinis came. mr du pont said to the wine waiter, 'bring two more in ten minutes.' they drank. mr du pont turned and faced bond. his face was petulant, crumpled. he said, 'what would you say, mr bond, if i told you i'd lost twenty-five thousand dollars in a week playing two-handed canasta?' bond was about to reply. mr du pont held up his hand. 'and mark you, i'm a good card player. member of the regency club. play a lot with people like charlie goren, johnny crawford - at bridge that is. but what i mean, i know my way around at the card table.' mr du pont probed bond's eyes.

'if you've been playing with the same man all the time, you've been cheated.'

'ex-actly.' mr du pont slapped the table-cloth. he sat back. 'ex-actly. that's what i said to myself after i'd lost -lost for four whole days. so i said to myself, this bastard is cheating me and by golly i'll find out how he does it and have him hounded out of miami. so i doubled the stakes and then doubled them again. he was quite happy about it. and i watched every card he played, every movement. nothing! not a hint or a sign. cards not marked. new pack whenever i wanted one. my own cards. never looked at my hand -couldn't, as i always sat dead opposite him. no kibitzer to tip him off. and he just went on winning and winning. won again this morning. and again this afternoon. finally i got so mad at the game - i didn't show it, mind you' - bond might think he had not been a sport - 'i paid up politely. but, without telling this guy, i just packed my bag and got me to the airport and booked on the first plane to new york. think of that!' mr du pont threw up his hands. 'running away. but twenty-five grand is twenty-five grand. i could see it getting to fifty, a hundred. and i just couldn't stand another of these damned games and i couldn't stand not being able to catch this guy out. so i took off. what do you think of that? me, junius du pont, throwing in the towel because i couldn't take the licking any more!'

bond grunted sympathetically. the second round of drinks came. bond was mildly interested, he was always interested in anything to do with cards. he could see the scene, the two men playing and playing and the one man quietly shuffling and dealing away and marking up his score while the other was always throwing his cards into the middle of the table with a gesture of controlled disgust. mr du pont was obviously being cheated. how? bond said, 'twenty-five thousand's a lot of money. what stakes were you playing?'

mr du pont looked sheepish. 'quarter a point, then fifty cents, then a dollar. pretty high i guess with the games averaging around two thousand points. even at a quarter, that makes five hundred dollars a game. at a dollar a point, if you go on losing, it's murder.'

'you must have won sometimes.'

'oh sure, but somehow, just as i'd got the s.o.b. all set for a killing, he'd put down as many of his cards as he could meld. got out of the bag. sure, i won some small change, but only when he needed a hundred and twenty to go down and i'd got all the wild cards. but you know how it is with canasta, you have to discard right. you lay traps to make the other guy hand you the pack. well, darn it, he seemed to be psychic! whenever i laid a trap, he'd dodge it, and almost every time he laid one for me i'd fall into it. as for giving me the pack - why, he'd choose the damnedest cards when he was pushed - discard singletons, aces, god knows what, and always get away with it. it was just as if he knew every card in my hand,'

'any mirrors in the room?'

'heck, no! we always played outdoors. he said he wanted to get himself a sunburn. certainly did that. red as lobster. he'd only play in the mornings and afternoons. said if he played in the evening he couldn't get to sleep.'

'who is this man, anyway? what's his name?'

'goldfinger.'

'first name?'

'auric. that means golden, doesn't it? he certainly is that. got flaming red hair.'

'nationality?'

'you won't believe it, but he's a britisher. domiciled in nassau. you'd think he'd be a jew from the name, but he doesn't look it. we're restricted at the floridiana. wouldn't have got in if he had been. nassavian passport. age forty-two. unmarried. profession, broker. got all this from his passport. had me a peek via the house detective when i started to play with him.'

'what sort of broker?'

du pont smiled grimly. 'i asked him. he said, "oh, anything that comes along." evasive sort of fellow. clams up if you ask him a direct question. talks away quite pleasantly about nothing at all.'

'what's he worth?'

'ha!' said mr du pont explosively. 'that's the damnedest thing. he's loaded. but loaded! i got my bank to check with nassau. he's lousy with it. millionaires are a dime a dozen in nassau, but he's rated either first or second among them. seems he keeps his money in gold bars. shifts them around the world a lot to get the benefit of changes in the gold price. acts like a damn federal bank. doesn't trust currencies. can't say he's wrong in that, and seeing how he's one of the richest men in the world there must be something to his system.' but the point is, if he's as rich as that, what the hell does he want to take a lousy twenty-five grand off me for?*

a bustle of waiters round their table saved bond having to think up a reply. with ceremony, a wide silver dish of crabs, big ones, their shells and claws broken, was placed in the middle of the table. a silver sauceboat brimming with melted butter and a long rack of toast was put beside each of their plates. the tankards of champagne frothed pink. finally, with an oily smirk, the head waiter came behind their chairs and, in turn, tied round their necks long white silken bibs that reached down to the lap.

bond was reminded of charles laughton playing henry viii, but neither mr du pont nor the neighbouring diners seemed surprised at the hoggish display. mr du pont, with a gleeful 'every man for himself, raked several hunks of crab on to his plate, doused them liberally in melted butter and dug in. bond followed suit and proceeded to eat, or rather devour, the most delicious meal he had had in his life.

the meat of the stone crabs was the tenderest, sweetest shellfish he had ever tasted. it was perfectly set off by the dry toast and slightly burned taste of the melted butter. the champagne seemed to have the faintest scent of strawberries. it was ice cold. after each helping of crab, the champagne cleaned the palate for the next. they ate steadily and with absorption and hardly exchanged a word until the dish was cleared.

with a slight belch, mr du pont for the last time wiped butter off his chin with his silken bib and sat back. his face was flushed. he looked proudly at bond. he said reverently, 'mr bond, i doubt if anywhere in the world a man has eaten as good a dinner as that tonight. what do you say?'

bond thought, i asked for the easy life, the rich life. how do i like it? how do i like eating like a pig and hearing remarks like that? suddenly the idea of ever having another meal like this, or indeed any other meal with mr du pont, revolted him. he felt momentarily ashamed of his disgust. he had asked and it had been given. it was the puritan in him that couldn't take it. he had made his wish and the wish had not only been granted, it had been stuffed down his throat. bond said, 'i don't know about that, but it was certainly very good.'

mr du pont was satisfied. he called for coffee. bond refused the offer of cigars or liqueurs. he lit a cigarette and waited with interest for the catch to be presented. he knew there would be one. it was obvious that all this was part of the come-on. well, let it come.

mr du pont cleared his throat. 'and now, mr bond, i have a proposition to put to you.' he stared at bond, trying to gauge his reaction in advance.

'yes?'

'it surely was providential to meet you like that at the airport.' mr du font's voice was grave, sincere. 'i've never forgotten our first meeting at royale. i recall every detail of it - your coolness, your daring, your handling of the cards.' bond looked down at the table-cloth. but mr du pont had got tired of his peroration. he said hurriedly, 'mr bond, i will pay you ten thousand dollars to stay here as my guest until you have discovered how this man goldfinger beats me at cards.'

bond looked mr du pont in the eye. he said, 'that's a handsome offer, mr du pont. but i have to get back to

london. i must be in new york to catch my plane within forty-eight hours. if you will play your usual sessions tomorrow morning and afternoon i should have plenty of time to find out the answer. but i must leave tomorrow night, whether i can help you or not. done?' 'done,' said mr du pont.