xtra guinea if he tells
you there's a hole in it."

"I expect he needs it all," said Gorman, "to keep Mrs. Searsby going.
But what the devil has he got to do with Madame Ypsilante. I can't
imagine her compromising herself with a man whose own wife is ashamed to
produce him."

Dane-Latimer smiled. "I told you it was nothing of that sort," he said.
"In fact it's quite the opposite. Madame went to him as a patient in
the ordinary way, and he started to put a gold filling into one of her
teeth. She was infernally nervous and made him swear beforehand that he
wouldn't hurt her. She brought Konrad Karl with her and he held one of
her hands. There was a sort of nurse, a woman whom Scarsby always has on
the premises, who held her other hand. I mention this to show you that
there were plenty of witnesses present, and it won't be any use denying
the facts. Well, Scarsby went to work in the usual way with one of those
infernal drill things which they work with their feet. He had her right
back in the chair and was standing more or less in front of her. He says
he's perfectly certain he didn't hurt her in the least, but I think he
must have got down to a nerve or something without knowing it. Anyhow
Madame--she couldn't use her hands you know--gave a sort of twist, got
her foot against his chest and kicked him clean across the room."

"I'd give five pounds to have been there," said Gorman.

"It must have been a funny sight. Scarsby clutched at everything as he
passed. He brought down the drilling machine and a table covered with
instruments in his fall. He strained his wrist and now he wants to take
an action for a thousand pounds damages against Madame."

"Silly ass," said Gorman. "He might just as well take an action against
me for a million. Madame hasn't got a thousand pence in the world."

"So I thought," said Dane-Latimer, "and so I told him. As a matter of
fact I happen to know that Madame is pretty heavily in debt."

"Besides," said Gorman. "He richly deserved what he got. Any man who is
fool enough to go monkeying about with Madame Ypsilante's teeth--you've
seen her, I suppose."

"Oh, yes. Several times."

"Well then you can guess the sort of woman she is. And anyone who had
ever looked at her eyes would know. I'd just as soon twist a tiger's
tail as try to drill a hole in one of Madame Ypsilante's teeth. Scarsby
must have known there'd be trouble."

"I'm afraid the judge won't take that view," said Dane-Latimer