have plenty to do."

Dane-Latimer grinned. He beckoned to the waitress and ordered two
more brandies. Gorman talked on. One after another the men in the
smoking-room got up and went away. At three o'clock there was no one
left within earshot of Gorman and Dane-Latimer. A couple of Heads of
Government Departments and a Staff Officer still sat on at the far end
of the room, but they were busy with a conversation of their own about
a new kind of self-starter for motor cars. Dane-Latimer began to talk at
last.

"The fact is," he said, "I shouldn't have been here to-day--I certainly
shouldn't be sitting smoking at this hour if I hadn't wanted to talk to
you."

Gorman chuckled pleasantly. He felt that something interesting was
coming.

"I've rather a queer case on hand," said Dane-Latimer, "and some friends
of yours are mixed up in it, at least I think I'm right in saying
that that picturesque blackguard Konrad Karl of Megalia is a friend of
yours."

"I hope he's not the co-respondent," said Gorman.

"No. No. It's nothing of that sort. In fact, strictly speaking, he's
not in it at all. No legal liability. The action threatened is against
Madame Ypsilante."

"Don't say shop lifting," said Gorman. "I've always been afraid she's
take to that sooner or later. Not that she's a dishonest woman. Don't
think that. It's simply that she can't understand, is constitutionally
incapable of seeing any reason why she shouldn't have anything she
wants."

"You may make your mind easy," said Dane-Latimer. "It's not
shop-lifting. In fact it isn't anything that would be called really
disgraceful."

"That surprises me. I should hardly have thought Madame could have
avoided--but go on.

"You know Scarsby?" said Dane-Latimer.

"I know a Mrs. Scarsby, a woman who advertises herself and her parties
and pushes hard to get into the smartest set. She's invited me to one
of her shows next week. Very seldom does now, though I used to go there
pretty often. She has rather soared lately, higher circles than those I
move in."

"That's the wife of the man I mean."

"Never knew she had a husband," said Gorman. "She keeps him very dark.
But that sort of woman often keeps her husband in the background. I
suppose he exists simply to earn what she spends."

"That's it. He's a dentist. I rather wonder you haven't heard of him.
He's quite at the top of the tree; the sort of dentist who charges two
guineas for looking at your front tooth and an e