he risk, sir," the man decided, "but the orders I have
received were stringent."

He disappeared and was gone for several moments. When he came back
he was accompanied by a pale-faced woman dressed in black, obviously
a maid.

"Monsieur Laverick," she said, "Mademoiselle Idiale will receive
you. If you will come this way?"

She opened the door of the little reception-room, and Laverick
followed her. The man returned to his place in the hall.

"Madame will be here in a moment," the maid said. "She will be glad
to see you, but she has been very badly frightened."

Laverick bowed sympathetically. The woman herself was gray-faced,
terror-stricken.

"It is Monsieur Lassen, the manager of Madame, who has caused a
great deal of trouble here," she said. "Madame never trusted him
and now we have discovered that he is a spy."

The woman seemed to fade away. The door of the inner room was
opened and Louise came out. She was still exceedingly pale, and
there were dark rims under her eyes. She came across the room with
outstretched hands. There was no doubt whatever as to her pleasure.

"You have seen Mr. Bellamy?" she asked.

Laverick shook his head.

"No, I have seen nothing of Bellamy to-day. I came to call upon
you this afternoon."

She wrung her hands.

"You understand, of course!" she exclaimed. "I did not trust
Lassen, but I never imagined anything like this. He is an Austrian.
Only a few hours ago I learned that he is one of their most heavily
paid spies. Streuss got hold of him. But there, I forgot--you do
not understand this. It is enough that he laid a plot to get that
document from you. Where is it, Mr. Laverick? You have brought it
now?"

"Why, no," Laverick answered, "I have not."

Her eyes were round with terror. She held out her hands as though
to keep away some tormenting thought.

"Where is it?" she cried. "You have not parted with it?

"I have not," Laverick replied gravely. "It is in the safe deposit
of a hotel to which I have moved."

She closed her eyes and drew a long breath of relief.

"You are not well," Laverick said. "Let me help you to a chair."

She sat down wearily.

"Why have you moved to a hotel?" she asked.

"To tell you the truth," Laverick answered, "I seem to have
wandered into a sort of modern Arabian Nights. Three times to-day
attempts have been made to get that document from me by force. I
have been followed whereever I went. I felt that it