ivilized sort of woman with
little control over her very violent emotions. Altogether, he
anticipated a disagreeable quarter of an hour.

He was admitted smilingly by a woman, and noticed with some surprise
that Gibber the page was not at his accustomed post. But he put this
down to the fact that there was no gambling on this particular evening.
The windows of the great salon were dark, and Senora Gredos received
him in a small apartment which she used as a sitting-room. Her couch
was drawn up close to the fire, and she appeared to be in better health
than usual. Standing at the door, Mallow thought she made a pretty
picture. She had on a white wrapper trimmed with gold lace, and as
usual, wore a profusion of jewelry. Across the lower part of the couch
was flung a gorgeous purple coverlet of eastern manufacture, and what
with the brilliant colors and the glitter of precious stones, she
looked remarkably eastern herself. Mallow noticed particularly how
Jewish she was in appearance, and wondered how he could have been so
blind as not to have remarked it before. The room looked cheerful and
warm, and was welcome after the chilly, dreary streets. Mallow, having
taken off his overcoat in the hall, came forward and bowed somewhat
formally, but Maraquito was not to be put off with so frigid a
greeting. Holding out both hands, she shook his warmly and pointed to
a chair near her couch. It was now a few minutes after nine.

"How good of you to come and see me," she said in her deep, rich voice.
"The evening was so dull."

"You are not having any play this evening?"

Maraquito shrugged her fine shoulders and unfurled a quite unnecessary
fan, which, to keep up her fiction of being a Spanish lady, she always
carried. "Some idiot told the police what was going on and I received
a notice to close."

"But the police knew long ago."

"Not officially. The police can be silent when it suits. And I always
kept things very quiet here. I can't understand why any objection
should be made. I suspect that man Jennings told."

"I thought you liked him."

"Oh, I fancied he was a friend of yours and so I made the best of him.
But, to tell you the truth, Mr. Mallow, I always mistrusted him. He is
much too fond of asking questions for my taste. Then Mr. Hale told me
that the man was a detective, so I understood his unwarrantable
curiosity. I shall have nothing to do with him in future."

"In that case," said Mallow, anxio