Hotel Imperial. Here she
halted for a minute to have the soldier close behind her; then gave
the revolving door a turn and found herself and him in the marble
hall once built for Mrs. Warren's florid taste. "Call the Manager,"
she said--trying not to pant--to two Belgian servants who came up,
a porter and a lift man. The Manager--he who had ejected her and her
mother in 1915--was fortunately a little while in appearing. He was
really packing up with energy so as to depart with all the plunder
he could transport before the way of escape was closed. This little
delay enabled Vivien to get her breath and resume an impressive
calm.

"Well: what you want?" the Manager said insolently, recollecting
her.

"This first," she said, seizing him suddenly by his coat collar.

"I want--to--give--you--the--soundest--thrashing you have ever
had..."

And before he could offer any effective resistance she had lashed
him well with the riding _cravache_ about the shoulders, hands, back
and face. He wrenched himself free and crouched ready for a counter
attack. But the Belgian servants intervened and tripped him up; and
the German soldier--the ex-waiter from the Savoy--said that Madame
was by nature so kind that there must be some good reason for this
chastisement.

"There is," she replied, now she had got her breath and was inwardly
feeling ashamed at her resort to such violent methods.

"Three years ago, this creature turned my mother and myself out of
this hotel with such violence that my mother died of it a few
minutes afterwards. He stole our money and much of our property. I
have inherited from my mother, to whom this hotel once belonged, a
right over certain rooms which she used to occupy. I resume that
right from to-day. I shall go to them now. As to this wretch, throw
him out on to the pavement. He can afterwards send for his luggage,
and what really is his he shall have."

Her orders were executed.

She then sent a message to Mme. Walcker and to the kind tea-shop
woman, Mme. Trouessart, close by, explaining what she had done and
why. "I shall take control of this hotel in the name of the Belgian
Company that owns it, a Company in which, through my mother, I
possess shares. I shall stay here till responsible persons take it
over and I shall resume possession of the _appartement_ that
belonged to my mother." Meantime, would Madame Trouessart engage a
few stout wenches to eke out the scanty hotel staff, most of which
bei