and whose almond-shaped eyes, black as night, were set immovably upon
him. This man was apparently young. He wore a rich, brocaded robe,
trimmed with marten fur, and out of it his long ivory throat rose
statuesquely. His complexion was likewise of this uniform ivory colour,
and from his low smooth brow his hair was brushed back in a series of
glossy black waves.

His lips were full and very red. As a woman he might have been
considered handsome--even beautiful; in a man this beauty was unnatural
and repellent. He wore Oriental slippers, fur-lined, and his feet rested
on a small ottoman. One long, slender hand lay upon a cushion placed on
the chair arm, and a pretty girl was busily engaged in manicuring
his excellency's nails. Although the day held every promise of being
uncomfortably hot, already a huge fire was burning in the grate.

As Parker stood before him, the languid, handsome Oriental did not stir
a muscle, merely keeping the gaze of his strange black eyes fixed upon
the nervous cobbler. The manicurist, after one quick upward glance,
continued her work. But in this moment of distraction she had hurt the
cuticle of one of those delicate, slender fingers.

Ormuz Khan withdrew his hand sharply from the cushion, glanced aside at
the girl, and then, extending his hand again, pushed her away from him.
Because of her half-kneeling posture, she almost fell, but managed to
recover herself by clutching at the edge of a little table upon which
the implements of her trade were spread. The table rocked and a bowl of
water fell crashing on the carpet. His excellency spoke. His voice was
very musical.

"Clumsy fool," he said. "You have hurt me. Go."

The girl became very white and began to gather up the articles upon the
table. "I am sorry," she said, "but--"

"I do not wish you to speak," continued the musical voice; "only to go."

Hurriedly collecting the remainder of the implements and placing them
in an attache case, the manicurist hurried from the room. Her eyes were
overbright and her lips pathetically tremulous. Ormuz Khan never glanced
in her direction again, but resumed his disconcerting survey of Parker.
"Yes?" he said.

Parker bumblingly began to remove the lid of the cardboard box which he
had brought with him.

"I do not wish you to alter the shoes you have made," said his
excellency. "I instructed you to remeasure my foot in order that you
might make a pair to fit."

"Yes, sir," said Parker. "Quite