had been gone
half an hour, and I strongly suspected him of having spent my two sous
on a glass of absinthe, when there was a ring at the door, and I,
Hector Ratichon, the confidant of kings and intimate counsellor of
half the aristocracy in the kingdom, was forced to go and open the
door just like a common lackey.

But here the sight which greeted my eyes fully compensated me for the
temporary humiliation, for on the threshold stood a gentleman who had
wealth written plainly upon his fine clothes, upon the dainty linen at
his throat and wrists, upon the quality of his rich satin necktie and
the perfect set of his fine cloth pantaloons, which were of an
exquisite shade of dove-grey. When, then, the apparition spoke,
inquiring with just a sufficiency of aristocratic hauteur whether M.
Hector Ratichon were in, you cannot be surprised, my dear Sir, that my
dejection fell from me like a cast-off mantle and that all my usual
urbanity of manner returned to me as I informed the elegant gentleman
that M. Ratichon was even now standing before him, and begged him to
take the trouble to pass through into my office.

This he did, and I placed a chair in position for him. He sat down,
having previously dusted the chair with a graceful sweep of his
lace-edged handkerchief. Then he raised a gold-rimmed eyeglass to his
right eye with a superlatively elegant gesture, and surveyed me
critically for a moment or two ere he said:

"I am told, my good M. Ratichon, that you are a trustworthy fellow,
and one who is willing to undertake a delicate piece of business for a
moderate honorarium."

Except for the fact that I did not like the word "moderate," I was
enchanted with him.

"Rumour for once has not lied, Monsieur," I replied in my most
attractive manner.

"Well," he rejoined--I won't say curtly, but with businesslike
brevity, "for all purposes connected with the affair which I desire to
treat with you my name, as far as you are concerned, shall be Jean
Duval. Understand?"

"Perfectly, Monsieur le Marquis," I replied with a bland smile.

It was a wild guess, but I don't think that I underestimated my new
client's rank, for he did not wince.

"You know Mlle. Mars?" he queried.

"The actress?" I replied. "Perfectly."

"She is playing in _Le Reve_ at the Theatre Royal just now."

"She is."

"In the first and third acts of the play she wears a gold bracelet set
with large green stones."

"I noticed it the other night. I ha