bout twelve
months ago I was at a private dance at the house of a friend in
Holland Park, when I was introduced to a young married woman named
Cullerton, the wife of a man on the Stock Exchange. I rather liked
her, and as she invited me to a small dance which she gave a week
later we soon became friends. One day, while we were walking together
in Bond Street we met Mr. De Gex, the great financier, to whom she
introduced me. His car was standing at the kerb, so he took us back to
tea at his house in Stretton Street. While we were at tea a tall, dark
Spanish-looking girl came in and was introduced to us as Gabrielle
Engledue. As we sat at tea we laughed over the similarity of our
names, and she told me that though her mother had been English she had
lived all her life in Madrid, and had been over here for the purpose
of studying English. She had been staying with a family somewhere in
Essex, but was now at an hotel in London, for she was returning to
Madrid in a few days. I rather liked her, and as Mr. De Gex was
charming to us both, I accepted his invitation to dine there a few
days later. I did not tell mother about this, for I feared that being
rather old-fashioned she might disapprove of my new friendships. We
had a delightful dinner, and Mr. De Gex took us all three to the
theatre afterwards, and drove each of us home. I was the first, and he
put me down at the corner of Earl's Court Road.

"On the night of November the seventh at very short notice Mr. De Gex
had again invited Miss Engledue and myself through Mrs. Cullerton to
dinner, for she was leaving for Madrid next day, her luggage having
already been sent to the station cloak-room, she told me. We
understood that Mr. and Mrs. Cullerton were also coming. We did not
put on dinner-dresses as Mr. De Gex said he intended to take us to a
show at Olympia afterwards. I was, I know, foolish not to tell mother
where I was going, but the reason for it I have already explained.
When I arrived at Stretton Street, after my dancing lesson, Gabrielle
Engledue was already there chatting with Mr. De Gex in the library. He
told me that he had just received a telephone message from Mr.
Cullerton saying that his wife had been taken rather unwell and
therefore could not come. So we three sat down, the only other guest
being a man I now recollect as one who afterwards proved my friend,
Doctor Moroni.

"The meal was quite a merry one for Mr. De Gex was quite a lady's man
when his w