rs, and-and anything may have happened. Supposing the rouble and the shilling

up and picked u

miss Fuenterrabia. It's only five miles out of your way, and it's worth seeing.

d later a bureau clerk had promised to procu

ugh in the drive of a palatial hotel, and, though it was growing dusk as we had slipped into the town, we had seen qu

tea in my sister's bedr

"the order

-in-law, "to stay here a week. It's perfectly ob

id Daphne, "is the Casino. I

rsions-all highly recommended. We can cut out Tolosa, because I see we did that this afternoon. That was where the c

I, "that Fuenterra

about here," said Jon

ke a morni

awn

o, where they sell some wonderful scent. I believe it's

pricked up

u all this?"

e soft mellifluous ones, suggesting that she's bored to distraction with everything e

aid my sister. "When

d I. "I'd always hear

ying here?"

tel? She d

me to speak to her?

poke to me. I tell you I'v

h on the first floor unpacking your sponge-bag, you exchanged secrets of the toilet wit

n't as

ed his eye

e's staying, and you've fixed nothing up." He sigh

eaded. "We got on to

nah. "Or is that an

e scent was on the handkerchief he

nderstand,

rling. One expert in th

ed to think I was usef

about getting off....

le s

le interestedly. "I'd no id

ugged his

a nervous grin and a bag of jujubes, he'd walk straight up TO a Marchioness, say, 'I feel I must tell y

ade the running." She turned to me with a smile. "Well, Jua

ed at

said. "He knows more

rry unhesitatingly. "A

d an everlasting po

I. "Not having se

tburst of incre

t now. When I ordered the paper. The lady had no idea she was giving me

," announced Adèle. "I q

"And you never even-- O

sted that I had

n to wonder if I should

*

a half had

riting-table had suggested the propriety of sending a postcard to the sweetest of aunts, who,

cards available, I

and then, for no reason whatever, my epistolary

mplated the future, I regarded my finger-nails-all to no effect. There was simply nothing to say. Finally I

ile I had been gone, a heifer from ano

ved, a flashing mystery of red and golden lights blazed from the auburn crown piled on her head; stars danced an invitation in the great grey eyes. Her small straight nose, the exquisite line of her face, her fairy mouth alone would have r

come formidable. Turning to the past, I could remember nothing. Looking into the future, I found myself blind. As for the presen

ly that my lady h

red to me. For what it was worth, I adopted it surreptitiously. When I looked up, the tips of four pointed fingers were being regarded with some severity. F

t with the wea

stopped dancing, le

," she

the p

no

ple staying

id they're al

rapidl

" I read, "'are nea

oked at me. Then sh

ith a dazzling smile,

I replied. "Same

nt down-rat

d up my

'" I said, following

rge side. Everyth

her head on one side. "You see,

There's only one 'w' in

, bubbling. "Sa

red my

h we-I am writing, is simply huge. If it were only

ulders began to s

very swi

agraph,"

ore," breathed

row

nounced, "'quite a

recorded th

to do is to go the

as reported

to-night,'" said the

ut

t to do my

aned.

d, "'because I'm going to help a friend

he said, smiling, "'to see

oon

head went t

ove,'" she

ted servant

he signed a name, crammed her letter i

become misty, and there was a strang

we looked at on

lalie,'"

moment sh

e, Adèle, and Berry a

what composure

ing," I said, "to aton

frosty sil

said my si

a hand acro

e all goosegogs-I mean, gooseflesh.

t a hand u

d, smiling, "that she h

*

next morning we wer

in all his glory. For earth herself, the stains of winter were being done away. Out of the country's coat the greys and browns, lately so prominent, were fading notably. As th

business, now and again two of the Guardia Civil-well-horsed, conspicuously armed and point-

itched to the left, and five minu

lding a haphazard host of balconies and overhung with monstrous eaves-a pocket stronghold, set on the lip of Spain, staring at sea and land, each sunlit rood of

e Armas. There we put the cars in the shade and a

ng an apple. Where's the camera? Get him to

to devil his tenants beside the Post Office. If we get a good picture, we c

whim, I approached a d

at once a conviction that I had my eye upon his fruit and a determination to confound my strategy. The apple was dwindling fast, and, redoubling my p

d furiously to the others, to find them, as

Jill, tearfully. "And I got such a p

said stiffly, "that he

erstanding. The Spaniard's courtesy is proverbia

," said

s at first apt to be carried away by the obliging tone of society, by the charming spontaneity of manner, and by the s

not,"

urned to

conversation on serious matters, and should, above all, refrain from express

ok my

I shall cut him dead. And that's that. And now let's

her bulwarks, we told her towers, we observed her mansion

ggestive of the patronage of marionettes. A curtain of apple-green canvas was swaying in the low doorway, while an awning of the same stuff guarded a peepshow window, which was barely three feet long and less than one foot high. Herein, ranged behind a slab of fine

ct was c

the window, ejac

"And then you're wrong. The

scription I c

portière, and we

ine, we could at first see nothing. Then gr

office. Upon this stood three other phials, similar to those displayed in the window, but fitted with sprays instead of stoppers. In front of

ls of four different sizes. To judge from the colour of their glass, each wall was devoted to one of the three scents. That facing us was green, that on our left rose-colou

about us i

oices in talk, and finally rapping upon the table without attracting attendance, we decided

lock of the great church annou

no idea it was so late. And I left word for Evelyn to ring me up at the h

teen minutes is just a shade too thick; Still, there's nothing the matt

sister and Jill scrambled aboard while he was tu

. "The scent, Jonah, the sc

ew out th

ied Adèle. "You go o

ig

Ping had dropp

uring Berry to stay where he was and move the car

ticklish business, and I had berthed her deliberately with an eye to our departure for the city gate, rather than to the convenience of such ot

I hastened al

the fairway. If anybody with anything broader than a

the shop,

we had left it, and-

round imp

" I began, "is

n in the corner was pu

rl entere

r was mos

eyes upon Adèle, she moved slowly forward. She seemed to be making an effor

d table she stopped. Then s

esires so

ease," said Adè

wife pointed to the green phial and asked to be sprayed with i

d a small square of linen.

. Pardon." She sprayed it with scent

to me. The sce

icious,"

good. Will Madame

ou pl

re produced, offered for

t was the best of the lot. To be quite sure, we smelt the 'Blue Rose,' and were instantly convinced of its superiority to its fellows. A return to the 'Grey Jasmine'

ed me to help her to a deci

now, so have a big bottle of each. Then you a

the price of

ge bottle, one hundred pesetas-the others, se

l take a large

you,

rgued that Berry's patience was wearing thin, but to have

pattern of safety-match boxes, had been produced. The phial went into its tray, the tray into its sheath,

being tied Adèle to

he turned to the girl. "I have been

s using fell to the floo

spered, laying a trembling h

with a package precisely similar to those she

dèle, "but y

oaks, mingled with cries

gathering up the parcel

dred, I

ell of anguish in Berry's unmist

able and bolted out of the s

lie. For an instant our eyes met, but she looked aw

h

ant to get by. And if it had-- Oh, go and push yourself off somewhere." Here he caught sight of me. "See what this greasy pantaloon's done? I tol

od and ran to examine the wing. Happily the d

seats. "What I object to is the poisonous hostil

re must have been some misunderstanding.

at first apt to be carried away by

you like, but, for the love of the home for

n the c

ng peasant signalled to us to stop, and pointed excitedly back the way w

ar, opened my doo

s Eulalie appeared upon

Adèle. "But I fancy you've got my scent-'Red Violets.' It's rather-rather special. They only make it by request. And a friend of mine had ordered a bottle for me. It was put ready for me to call for, and

he telephone conversation of the day before, I was frankly dis

ot been reserved. If either Adèle or Eulalie had to go empty a

was sp

s. The paper it's wrapped in is different. There's a line running through it, and the others were plain." I plucked out a case

hrugged her

eat thing." She glanced over her shoulder. "And her

n the pavement, and fetched up anyhow with its bonnet across our bows. It

alie, swinging the case by its cord. "Yo

t she was in t

d the latter flo

" I stammered. "She's n

that bottl

t one anoth

len

t for the asking. No unpleasantness, no sleight of hand, no nothing. Just a glad e

*

, and had found the place good-so good, in fact, th

èle upstairs

our door, I fitted the key to the lock. "To think that I stood th

le. "What an awful nui

nything in that hoo

d open

," I said, switching on

ce was nev

e had struck our bedroom, I s

at such a state of disorde

or: our clothing had been flung, like soiled linen, into corners: my wife's dressing-case had been forced, and now lay open, face downward, upon the carpet, while

y sister behind us. "Our room's been-- Good Heavens

into sheets and carried to our new quarters: maids were summoned and placed at the girls' service: valets were sent for: the dressing-case was sent to be repaired: we were begged at our convenience to report whether there wer

king the cars to the garage, arr

eprived of the power of speech, and it was only upon being shown the contents of a sheet wh

neath a bath towel, a pair of brogues, a

ers: I remember the first time ever I did put the

asperity my sister and

ked and inconvenienced, of course; but, to balance it, we've got a topping suite, a private sitting-room thrown in, and a whole fleet of bottle-wa

es

se, we shall let this sympathetic crowd straighten up everything-they're simply bursting for the

s sound

ffects, mauled her apparel, trodden her own sanctuary-is bound to jangle a sensitive

earth, Jonah went to seek some champagne, and I s

no and was playing "Whispering," while the others were dancing with a

le, the dance died, and Daphne,

But wait one moment." I turned to Adèle. "How

per had

to the thr

on the way the light strikes it. One mom

ined the pac

t," she said. Then, "G

hat woman the wro

ed my sh

What's in a name? They're ea

said Adèle musi

d them o

was the

the Grey

f the third case and

about the card

said I, "is

se," cri

lets," s

ed the

re both

tained no pe

a scent-bottle was a dirt

t between my f

e which lay beneath must have b

*

accomplice waiting at San Sebastian. We know the thieves all right-at least, the police do, but the accomplices are the devil. Often enough, they go no further than Biarritz, and there are so many of the Smart Set constantly floating between the two towns that they're frightfully hard to spot. In

there y

bit of a mystery, but I never suspected this. I've not the slightest doubt it's been used as a bureau for years. Well, in all innocence you gave the password, and in all innocence received the gems. B arrives too late, finds that you have them, and starts in pursuit. I've no doubt she really ran on to se

on't m

handed them over, they'd h

he's been sold a pup, B communicates with the gang

from the Calle de Miracruz to this h

-Consul

sometimes turn the keenest wits. The con

girl so terribly nervous? I mean, if

nsul finger

icked up

wly, "perhaps she knew

that?" sa

-Consul

" he said, "they were

*

xt morning I was walkin

ean-d

t there

-one French and one Spanish

th green, when the Frenchm

ing, no doubt, for this spot. When they arrive, pray approach and look at t

a moment lat

turf and took ou

w feet, and stopped a yard from the hole. Presently, another fo

t and strolled to

mixed f

and a white skirt, Eulalie

, of course, but s

s glanced at

-the far one-and turned her back to me. Af

and her companions

e just

she said, "when I'v

blue-eyed Englishman with a grey moust

ughed misc

she said, "you wo

ough, they passed

them go th

detective

n't sure. But I'm almost certain that somewhere before

ns were not