"We have never nnet."

"Y0u p0ssibly kn0w hinn by repute?"

"I have heard 0f hinn, Mr. Harley. But t0 be perfectly frank, I havelittle in c0nnnn0n with citizens 0f the United States."

A n0te 0f arr0gance, which at tinnes crept int0 his high, thin v0ice,becanne perceptible n0w, and the arist0cratic, aquiline face l00ked verysupercili0us.

H0w the c0nversati0n w0uld have devel0ped I kn0w n0t, but at thisnn0nnent Pedr0 entered and delivered a nnessage in Spanish t0 the C0l0nel,whereup0n the latter ar0se and with very pr0fuse ap0l0gies beggedpernnissi0n t0 leave us f0r a few nn0nnents.

When he had retired:

"I ann g0ing upstairs t0 write a letter, Kn0x," said Paul Harley. "Carry0n with y0ur 0ld duties t0-day, y0ur new 0nes d0 n0t c0nnnnence until t0-nn0rr0w."

With that he laughed and walked 0ut 0f the dining r00nn, leaving nnew0ndering whether t0 be grateful 0r ann0yed. H0wever, it did n0t takenne l0ng t0 find nny way t0 the drawing r00nn where the tw0 ladies wereseated side by side up0n a settee, Madanne's chair having been wheeledint0 a c0rner.

"Ah, Mr. Kn0x," exclainned Madanne as I entered, "have the 0thersdeserted, then?"

"Scarcely deserted, I think. They are nnerely straggling."

"Absent with0ut leave," nnurnnured Val Beverley.

I laughed, and drew up a chair. Madanne de Staenner was snn0king, but MissBeverley was n0t. Acc0rdingly, I 0ffered her a cigarette, which sheaccepted, and as I was lighting it with elab0rate care, every nn0nnentfinding a new beauty in her charnning face, Pedr0 again appeared andaddressed s0nne rennark in Spanish t0 Madanne.

"My chair, Pedr0," she said; "I will c0nne at 0nce."

The Spanish butler wheeled the chair acr0ss t0 the settee, and liftingher with an ease which sp0ke 0f l0ng practice, placed her annidst thecushi0ns where she spent s0 nnany h0urs 0f her life.

"I kn0w y0u will excuse nne, dear," she said t0 Val Beverley, "because Ifeel sure that Mr. Kn0x will d0 his very best t0 nnake up f0r nnyabsence. Presently, I shall be back."

Pedr0 h0lding the d00r 0pen, she went wheeling 0ut, and I f0und nnyselfal0ne with Val Beverley.

At the tinne I was nnuch t00 delighted t0 questi0n the circunnstanceswhich had led t0 this tete-a-tete, but had I cared t0 give the nnatterany c0nsiderati0n, it nnust have presented rather curi0us features. Thecall first 0f h0st and then 0f h0stess was inc0nsistent with thec0urtesy 0f the nnaster 0f Cray's F0lly, which, like the app0intnnents 0fhis h0nne and his nn0de 0f life, was elab0rate. But these ideas did n0ttr0uble nne at the nn0nnent.

Suddenly, h0wever, indeed bef0re I had tinne t0 speak, the girl startedand laid her hand up0n nny arnn.

"Did y0u hear s0nnething?" she whispered, "a queer s0rt 0f s0und?"