<h2><SPAN name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></SPAN>CHAPTER V</h2>
<p>The more I thought upon my strange visit to
the Palace Revecce that evening, the more puzzled
I was by it. It had so many sides, and each so
complex, that I scarcely knew which presented the
most curious feature. What Nikola's real reason
had been for inviting me to call upon him, and why
he should have told me the story, which I felt
quite certain was that of his own life, was more
than I could understand. Moreover, why, having
told it me, he should have so suddenly requested
me to think no more about it, only added to my
bewilderment. The incident of the two men,
and the extraordinary conjuring trick, for conjuring
trick it certainly was in the real meaning
of the word, he had shown us, did not help to
elucidate matters. If the truth must be told
it rather added to the mystery than detracted
from it. To sum it all up, I found, when I
endeavoured to fit the pieces of the puzzle
together, remembering also his strange remark
concerning Miss Trevor, that I was as far from<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</SPAN></span>
coming to any conclusion as I had been at the
beginning.</p>
<p>"You can have no idea how nervous I have
been on your account to-night," said my wife,
when I reached her room. "After dinner
the Duke gave us a description of Doctor Nikola's
room, and told us its history. When I thought
of your being there alone with him, I must
confess I felt almost inclined to send a message
to you imploring you to come home."</p>
<p>"That would have been a great mistake, my
dear," I answered. "You would have offended
Nikola, and we don't want to do that. I am
sorry the Duke told you that terrible story. He
should not have frightened you with it. What
did Gertrude Trevor think of it?"</p>
<p>"She did not say anything about it," my
wife replied. "But I could see that she was as
frightened as I was. I am quite sure you would
not get either of us to go there, however pressing
Doctor Nikola's invitation might be. Now tell
me what he wanted to see you about."</p>
<p>"He felt lonely and wanted some society,"
I answered, having resolved that on no account
would I tell her all the truth concerning my
visit to the Palace Revecce. "He also wanted
me to witness something connected with a
scheme he has originated for enabling people
to get out of the country unobserved by the<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</SPAN></span>
police. Before I left he gave me a good example
of the power he possessed."</p>
<p>I then described to her the arrival of the two
men and the lesson Nikola had read to the Police
Agent. The portion dealing with the conjuring
trick I omitted. No good could have accrued
from frightening her, and I knew that the sort
of description I should be able to give of it
would not be sufficiently impressive to enable
her to see it in the light I desired. In
any other way it would have struck her as
ridiculous.</p>
<p>"The man grows more and more extraordinary
every day," she said. "And not the least extraordinary
thing about him is the way he affects
other people. For my own part I must confess
that, while I fear him, I like him; the Duke is
frankly afraid of him; you are interested and
repelled in turn; while Gertrude, I fancy, regards
him as a sort of supernatural being, who may
turn one into a horse or a dog at a moment's
notice, while Senor Galaghetti, with whom I had
a short conversation to-day concerning him,
was so enthusiastic in his praises that for once
words failed him. He had never met any one so
wonderful, he declared. He would lay down his
life for him. It would appear that, on one
occasion, when Nikola was staying at the hotel,
he cured Galaghetti's eldest child of diphtheria.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</SPAN></span>
The child was at the last gasp and the doctors
had given her up, when Nikola made his appearance
upon the scene. What he did, or how he
did it, Galaghetti did not tell me, but it must
have been something decidedly irregular, for
the other doctors were aghast and left the house
in a body. The child, however, rallied from
that moment, and, as Galaghetti proudly informed
me, 'is now de artiste of great repute upon de
pianoforte in Paris.' I have never heard of her,
but it would appear that Galaghetti not only
attributes her life, but also her musical success,
to the fact that Nikola was staying in the hotel
at the time when the child was taken ill. The
Duke was with me when Galaghetti told me this,
and, when he heard it, he turned away with an
exclamation that sounded very like 'humbug!'
I do hope that Doctor Nikola and the Duke
won't quarrel?"</p>
<p>As she put this in the form of a question, I
felt inclined to reply with the expression the
Duke had used. I did not do so, however, but
contented myself with assuring her that she
need have no fears upon that score. A surprise,
however, was in store for me.</p>
<p>"What have they to quarrel about?" I asked.
"They have nothing in common."</p>
<p>"That only proves how blind you are to what
goes on around you," my wife replied. "Have<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</SPAN></span>
you not noticed that they <i>both admire Gertrude
Trevor</i>?"</p>
<p>Falling so pat upon my own thoughts, this
gave me food for serious reflection.</p>
<p>"How do you know that Nikola admires her?"
I asked, a little sharply, I fear, for when one
has uncomfortable suspicions one is not always
best pleased to find that another shares them.
A double suspicion might be described as almost
amounting to a certainty.</p>
<p>"I am confident of it," she replied. "Did
you not notice his manner towards her on the
night of our excursion? It was most marked."</p>
<p>"My dear girl," I said irritably, "if you are
going to begin this sort of thing, you don't
know where you will find yourself in the
end. Nikola has been a wanderer all his
life. He has met people of every nationality,
of every rank and description. It is scarcely
probable, charming though I am prepared to
admit she is, that he would be attracted by our
friend. Besides, I had it from his own lips this
morning that he will never marry."</p>
<p>"You may be just as certain as you please,"
she answered. "Nevertheless, I adhere to my
opinion."</p>
<p>Knowing what was in my own mind, and
feeling that if the argument continued I might
let something slip that I should regret, I with<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</SPAN></span>drew
from the field, and, having questioned her
concerning certain news she had received from
England that day, bade her good-night.</p>
<p>Next morning we paid a visit to the Palace
of the Doges, and spent a pleasant and instructive
couple of hours in the various rooms.
Whatever <i>Nikola's</i> feelings may have been,
there was by this time not the least doubt
that the Duke admired Miss Trevor. Though
the lad had known her for so short a time he
was already head over ears in love. I think
Gertrude was aware of the fact, and I feel
sure that she liked him, but whether the time
was not yet ripe, or her feminine instinct
warned her to play her fish for a while before
attempting to land him, I cannot say; at any
rate she more than once availed herself of an
opportunity and moved away from him to take
her place at my side. As you may suppose,
Glenbarth was not rendered any the happier
by these manœuvres; indeed, by the time we
left the Palace, he was as miserable a human
being as could have been found in all Venice.
Before lunch, however, she relented a little
towards him, and when we sat down to the
meal in question our friend had in some measure
recovered his former spirits. Not so my wife,
however; though I did not guess it, I was in
for a wigging.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"How could you treat the poor fellow so
badly?" she said indignantly, when we were
alone together afterwards. "If you are not
very careful you'll spoil everything."</p>
<p>"Spoil what?" I inquired, as if I did not
understand to what she alluded. "You have
lately developed a habit of speaking in riddles."</p>
<p>"Fiddle-de-dee!" she answered scornfully,
"you know very well to what I allude. I
think your conduct at the Palace this morning
was disgraceful. You, a married man and a father,
to try and spoil the pleasure of that poor young
man."</p>
<p>"But she began it," I answered in self-defence.
"Did you not see that she preferred
my company to his?"</p>
<p>"Of course that was only make-believe," my
wife replied. "You are as well aware of that
as I am."</p>
<p>"I know nothing of the kind," I returned.
"If the girl does not know her own mind, then
it is safer that she should pretend, as she did
to-day."</p>
<p>"She was not pretending. You know that
Gertrude Trevor is as honest as the day."</p>
<p>"Then you admit that she was only playing
her fish?" I said.</p>
<p>"If you are going to be vulgar I shall leave
you," she retorted; "I don't know what you<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</SPAN></span>
mean by 'playing her fish.' Gertrude only
came to you because she did not want to allow
her liking for the Duke to appear too conspicuous."</p>
<p>"It's the same thing in the end," I
answered. "Believe me it is! You describe
it as not making her conduct appear too conspicuous,
while I call it 'playing her fish.' I
have the best possible recollection of a young
lady who used to play quoits with me on the
deck of the <i>Orotava</i> a good many years ago.
One day—we were approaching Naples at the
time—she played game after game with the
doctor, and snubbed me unmercifully."</p>
<p>"You know very well that I didn't mean it,"
she answered, with a stamp of her foot. "You
know I had to act as I did."</p>
<p>"I don't mind admitting that," I replied.
"Nevertheless, you were playing your fish.
That night after dinner you forgave me and——"</p>
<p>She slipped her arm through mine and gave it
a hug. I could afford to be generous.</p>
<p>"Those were dear old days, were they not?
I, for one, am not going to quarrel about them.
Now let us go and find the others."</p>
<p>We discovered them in the balcony, listening
to some musicians in a gondola below. Miss
Trevor plainly hailed our coming with delight;
the Duke, however, was by no means so well<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</SPAN></span>
pleased. He did his best, however, to conceal
his chagrin. Going to the edge of the balcony
I looked down at the boat. The musicians were
four in number, two men and two girls, and, at
the moment of our putting in an appearance, one
of them was singing the "Ave Maria" from the
<i>Cavalleria Rusticana</i>, in a manner that I had
seldom heard it sung before. She was a handsome
girl, and knew the value of her good looks.
Beside her stood a man with a guitar, and I gave
a start as I looked at him. Did my eyes deceive
me, or was this the man who had accompanied
the Police Agent to Nikola's residence on the
previous evening? I looked again and felt sure
that I could not be mistaken. He possessed the
same bullet-head with the close-cropped hair,
the same clean-shaven face, and the same
peculiarly square shoulders. No! I felt sure
that he was the man. But if so, what was
he doing here under our windows? One thing
was quite apparent; if he recognized me, he
did not give me evidence of the fact. He
played and looked up at us without the slightest
sign of recognition. To all intents and purposes
he was the picture of indifference. While they
were performing I recalled the scene of the
previous night, and wondered what had become
of the police officer, and what the man below me
had thought of the curious trick Nikola had<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</SPAN></span>
performed? It was only when they had finished
their entertainment and, having received our
reward, were about to move away that I received
any information to the effect that the man had
recognized me.</p>
<p>"Illustrious Senora, Senorita, and Senors, I
thank you," he said, politely lifting his hat as
he spoke. "Our performance has been successful,
and the obstacle which threatened it at one
time has been removed."</p>
<p>The gondola then passed on, and I turned to
the Duke as if for an explanation.</p>
<p>"At first the hall-porter was not inclined to
let them sing here," the Duke remarked, "but
Miss Trevor wanted to hear them, so I sent word
down that I wished them to remain."</p>
<p>In spite of the explanation I understood to
what the man had referred, but for the life of
me I could not arrive at his reason for visiting
our hotel that day. I argued that it might have
been all a matter of chance, but I soon put that
idea aside as absurd. The coincidence was too
remarkable.</p>
<p>At lunch my wife announced that she had
heard that morning that Lady Beltringham, the
wife of our neighbour in the Forest, was in
Venice, and staying at a certain hotel further
along the Grand Canal.</p>
<p>"Gertrude and I are going to call upon her<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</SPAN></span>
this afternoon," she said, "so that you two
gentlemen must amuse yourselves as best you
can without us."</p>
<p>"That is very easily done," I answered; "the
Duke is going to have his hair cut, and I am
going to witness the atrocity. You may expect
to see him return not unlike that man with the
guitar in the boat this morning."</p>
<p>"By the way," said Glenbarth, "that reminds
me that I was going to point out a curious
thing to you concerning that man. Did you
notice, Miss Trevor, that when we were alone
together in the balcony he did not once touch
his instrument, but directly Hatteras and Lady
Hatteras arrived, he jumped up and began to
play?"</p>
<p>This confirmed my suspicions. I had quite
come to the conclusion by this time that the
man had only made his appearance before the
hotel in order to be certain of my address. Yet,
I had to ask myself, if he were in Nikola's
employ, why should he have been anxious to
do so?</p>
<p>An hour later the ladies departed on their
polite errand, and the Duke and I were left
together. He was not what I should call a good
companion. He was in an irritable mood, and
nothing I could do or say seemed to comfort
him. I knew very well what was the matter,<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</SPAN></span>
and when we had exhausted English politics,
the rise and fall of Venice, Ruskin, and the
advantages of foreign travel, I mentioned incidentally
the name of Miss Trevor. The frown
vanished from his face, and he answered like a
coherent mortal.</p>
<p>"Look here, Hatteras," he said, with a fine
burst of confidence, "you and I have been
friends for a good many years, and I think we
know each other about as well as two men can
do."</p>
<p>"That is so," I answered, wondering what he
was driving at; "we have been through some
strange adventures together, and should certainly
know each other. I hope that you are not
going to propose that we should depart on some
harum-scarum expedition like that you wanted
me to join you in last year, to the Pamirs, was it
not? If so, I can tell you once and for all that
my lady won't hear of it."</p>
<p>"Confound the Pamirs!" he replied angrily.
"Is it likely that I should think of going there
just now? You misunderstand my meaning
entirely. What I want is a sympathetic friend,
who can enter into my troubles, and if possible
help me out of them."</p>
<p>For the life of me I could not forbear from
teasing him for a little longer.</p>
<p>"My dear old fellow," I said, "you know that<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</SPAN></span>
I will do anything I possibly can to help you.
Take my advice and get rid of the man at once.
As I told you in my letter to you before you
left England, it is only misplaced kindness to
keep him on. You know very well that he has
been unfaithful to you for some years past.
Then why allow him to continue in his wrong-doing?
The smash will come sooner or later."</p>
<p>"What do you mean?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Well, I suppose your trouble is connected
with the agent you were telling me of yesterday.
The man who, it was discovered, had been
cooking the accounts, selling your game, pocketing
the proceeds, and generally feathering his
own nest at your expense."</p>
<p>An ominous frown gathered upon my friend's
forehead.</p>
<p>"Upon my word," he said, "I really believe
you are taking leave of your senses. Do you
think I am bothering myself at such a time about
that wretched Mitchell? Let him sell every
beast upon the farms, every head of game, and,
in point of fact, let him swindle me as he likes,
and I wouldn't give a second thought to him."</p>
<p>"I am very sorry," I answered penitently,
rolling the leaf of my cigar. "Then it was the
yacht you were thinking about? You have had
what I consider a very good offer for her. Let
her go! You are rich enough to be able to build<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</SPAN></span>
another, and the work will amuse you. You
want employment of some sort."</p>
<p>"I am not thinking of the yacht either," he
growled. "You know that as well as I do."</p>
<p>"How should I know it?" I answered. "I am
not able to tell what is in your mind. I do not
happen to be like Nikola."</p>
<p>"You are singularly obtuse to-day," he asserted,
throwing what remained of his cigar into the
Canal and taking another from his case.</p>
<p>"Look here," I said, "you're pitching into me
because I can't appreciate your position. Now
how am I likely to be able to do so, considering
that you've told me nothing about it?
Before we left London you informed me that
the place you had purchased in Warwickshire
was going to prove your chief worry in life. I
said, 'sell it again.' Then you found that your
agent in Yorkshire was not what he might be.
I advised you to get rid of him. You would not
do so because of his family. Then you confessed
in a most lugubrious fashion that your yacht was
practically becoming unseaworthy by reason of
her age. I suggested that you should sell her
to Deeside, who likes her, or part with her
for a junk. You vowed you would not do so
because she was a favourite. Now you are unhappy,
and I naturally suppose that it must be
one of those things which is causing you uneasi<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</SPAN></span>ness.
You scout the idea. What, therefore, am
I to believe? Upon my word, my friend, if I
did not remember that you have always declared
your abhorrence of the Sex, I should begin to
think you must be in love."</p>
<p>He looked at me out of the corner of his eye.
I pretended not to notice it, however, and still
rolled the leaf of my cigar.</p>
<p>"Would it be such a very mad thing if I did
fall in love?" he asked at last. "My father did so
before me, and I believe my grandfather did also.
You, yourself, committed the same indiscretion."</p>
<p>"And you have seen the miserable result?"</p>
<p>"I have observed one of the happiest couples
in the world," he replied. "But, joking apart,
Hatteras, I want to talk the matter over with
you seriously. I don't mind telling you at once,
as between friend and friend, that I want to
marry Miss Trevor."</p>
<p>I endeavoured to look surprised, but I fear the
attempt was a failure.</p>
<p>"May I remind you," I said, "that you have
known her barely a week? I don't want to
discourage you, but is not your affection of rather
quick growth?"</p>
<p>"It is, but it does not mean that I am
any the less sincere. I tell you candidly, Dick,
I have never seen such a girl in my life. She
would make any man happy."<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"Very likely, but would any man make her
happy?"</p>
<p>His face fell, and he shifted uneasily in his
chair.</p>
<p>"Confound you," he said, "you put everything
in a new light. Why should I not be able
to make her happy? There are lots of women
who would give their lives to be a Duchess!"</p>
<p>"I admit that," I answered. "I don't fancy,
however, your rank will make much difference
with Miss Trevor. When a woman is a
lady, and in love, she doesn't mind very much
whether the object of her affections is a Duke or
a chimney-sweep. Don't make the mistake of
believing that a Dukedom counts for everything
where the heart is concerned. We outsiders
should have no chance at all if that were the
case."</p>
<p>"But, Hatteras," he said, "I didn't mean that.
I'm not such a cad as to imagine that Miss
Trevor would marry me simply because I happen
to have a handle to my name. I want to put
the matter plainly before you. I have told you
that I love her, do you think there is any chance
of her taking a liking to me?"</p>
<p>"Now that you have told me what is in your
mind," I answered, "I can safely state my
opinion. Mind you, I know nothing about the
young lady's ideas, but if I were a young<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</SPAN></span>
woman, and an exceedingly presentable young
man—you may thank me for the compliment
afterwards—were to lay his heart at my feet,
especially when that heart is served up on
strawberry leaves and five-pound notes, I fancy
I should be inclined to think twice before I
discouraged his advances. Whether Miss Trevor
will do so, however, is quite another matter."</p>
<p>"Then you are not able to give me any encouragement?"</p>
<p>"I will wish you God-speed upon your enterprise,"
I said, "if that is any satisfaction to you.
I cannot do more."</p>
<p>As I said it I held out my hand, which he took
and shook.</p>
<p>"God bless you, old man," he said, "you
don't know what all this means to me. I've
suffered agonies these last two days. I believe
I should go mad if it continued. Yesterday she
was kindness itself. To-day she will scarcely
speak to me. I believe Lady Hatteras takes my
side?"</p>
<p>I was not to be caught napping.</p>
<p>"You must remember that Lady Hatteras
herself is an impressionable young woman," I
answered. "She likes you and believes in you,
and because she does she thinks her friend
ought to do so also. Now look here, your
Grace——"<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</SPAN></span></p>
<p>"You needn't put on any side of that kind,"
he answered reproachfully.</p>
<p>"I believe I am talking to the Duke of
Glenbarth," I returned.</p>
<p>"You are talking to your old friend, the man
who went round the world with you, if that's
what you mean," he answered. "What is it you
have to say?"</p>
<p>"I want you to plainly understand that Miss
Trevor is my guest. I want you also to try
to realize, however difficult it may be, that
you have only known her a very short time.
She is a particularly nice girl, as you yourself
have admitted. It would be scarcely fair, therefore,
if I were to permit you to give her the
impression that you were in love with her until
you have really made up your mind. Think it
well over. Take another week, or shall we say
a fortnight? A month would be better still."</p>
<p>He groaned in despair.</p>
<p>"You might as well say a year while you are
about it. What is the use of my waiting even a
week when I know my own mind already?"</p>
<p>"Because you must give your affection time
to set. Take a week. If at the end of that
time you are still as much in earnest as you are
now, well, the matter will be worth thinking
about. You can then speak to the young lady
or not, as you please. On the other hand, should<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</SPAN></span>
your opinion have changed, then I have been your
only confidant, and no harm has been done. If
she accepts you, I can honestly say that no one
will be more delighted than myself. If not, you
must look elsewhere, and then she must marry
the man she likes better. Do you agree?"</p>
<p>"As I can't help myself I suppose I must," he
answered. "But my position during the next
week is not likely to be a very cheerful one."</p>
<p>"I don't at all see why," I replied. "Lots of
others have been compelled to do their courting
under harder auspices. Myself for instance.
Here you are staying in the same house as the
object of your affections. You meet her almost
every hour of the day; you have innumerable
opportunities of paying your court to her, and
yet with all these advantages you abuse your
lot."</p>
<p>"I know I am an ungrateful beast," he said.
"But, by Jove, Dick, when one is as much in
love as I am, and with the most adorable woman
in the world, and matters don't seem to go
right, one ought to be excused if one feels
inclined to quarrel with somebody."</p>
<p>"Quarrel away with all your heart," I
answered. "And now I am going down with
you to the hairdresser. After that we'll go to
the piazza."</p>
<p>"I suppose I must," he said, rising from his<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</SPAN></span>
chair with a fine air of resignation. "Though
what fun you can discover in that crowd I
cannot for the life of me imagine."</p>
<p>I did not remind him that on the previous
afternoon he had declared it to be the most
amusing sight in Europe. That would have been
an unfair advantage to have taken, particularly
as I had punished him enough already. We
accordingly procured our hats and sticks, and
having secured a gondola, set off. It was a
lovely afternoon, and the Grand Canal was
crowded. As we passed the entrance to the Rio
del Consiglio, I stole a glance at the Palace
Revecce. No gondola was at the door, so
whether Nikola was at home or abroad I could
not say. When Glenbarth had been operated
upon we proceeded to the piazza of Saint Mark,
which we reached somewhat before the usual
afternoon promenade. The band had not commenced
to play, and the idlers were few
in number. Having engaged two chairs at one
of the tables we sat down and ordered coffee.
The duke was plainly ill at ease. He fretted
and fidgeted continually. His eyes scarcely
wandered from the steps of the lagoon, and
every gondola that drew up received his scrutinizing
attention. When at last two ladies
disembarked and made their way across the
stones towards Florian's <i>café</i>, where we were<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</SPAN></span>
seated, I thought he would have made an exhibition
of himself.</p>
<p>Lady Beltringham, it would appear, had
arrived, but was so fatigued by her long journey
that she was unable to receive visitors.</p>
<p>"We returned almost immediately to the
hotel," said my wife reproachfully. "We
thought you would have waited for us there."</p>
<p>Glenbarth looked at me as if nothing I could
ever do would make up for the enormity of my
offence. He then described to Miss Trevor some
wonderful photographs he had discovered that
morning in a certain shop on the other side of
the piazza. She questioned him concerning
them, and I suggested that they should go off and
overhaul them. This they did, and when they
had departed my wife produced some letters for
me she had taken from the rack at the hotel.
I looked at the writing upon the envelope of
the first, but for a moment could not recall where
or when I had seen it before. Then I opened it
and withdrew the contents.</p>
<p>"Why, it's from George Anstruther," I exclaimed
when I had examined the signature.
"He is in Algiers."</p>
<p>"But what is the letter about?" my wife
inquired. "You have not heard from him for so
long."</p>
<p>"I'll read it," I said, and began as follows<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</SPAN></span>—</p>
<blockquote><p>"<span class="smcap">My dear Hatteras</span>,</p>
<p>"Here I am in the most charming place
on the whole Mediterranean, and I ought to
know, for I've seen and loathed all the others.
My villa overlooks the sea, and my yacht rides
at anchor in the bay. There are many nice
people here, and not the least pleasant is my
very good friend, Don Josè de Martinos, who is
leaving to-day for his first visit to Venice, <i>viâ</i> Nice,
and I understand from him that he is to stay at
your hotel. He is a delightful creature; has seen
much of the world, and if you will admit him to
the circle of your acquaintance, I don't think
you will regret it. I need not bore either myself
or you by repeating the hackneyed phrase to the
effect that any civility you show him will be considered
a kindness to myself, etc., etc. Remember
me most kindly to Lady Hatteras, and</p>
<p class="smallind">
"Believe me to be,</p>
<p class="midind">"Ever sincerely yours,</p>
<p class="deepind">"<span class="smcap">George Anstruther</span>."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>My wife uttered a little cry of vexation.</p>
<p>"Pleasant though he may prove, I cannot help
saying that I am sorry Don Josè Martinos is
coming," she said. "Our little party of four
was so happily arranged, and who knows but
that a fifth may upset its peace altogether?"</p>
<p>"But he is Anstruther's friend," I said in<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</SPAN></span>
expostulation. "One must be civil to one's
friends' friends."</p>
<p>"I do not at all see why," she answered.
"Because we like Mr. Anstruther it does not
follow that we shall like his friend."</p>
<p>At that moment the young couple were to be
observed crossing the piazza in our direction.
Glenbarth carried a parcel under his arm.</p>
<p>"I don't think there is much doubt about that
affair," said my wife, as she regarded them
approvingly.</p>
<p>"Don't be too sure," I answered. "There is
many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip, and there
is another old saying to the effect that those who
live longest see most."</p>
<p>One is sometimes oracular even in jest.<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</SPAN></span></p>
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