ion, that Pesca did not know the Count. The instant
afterwards I was equally certain that the Count knew Pesca!

Knew him, and--more surprising still--FEARED him as well! There was no
mistaking the change that passed over the villain's face. The leaden
hue that altered his yellow complexion in a moment, the sudden rigidity
of all his features, the furtive scrutiny of his cold grey eyes, the
motionless stillness of him from head to foot told their own tale. A
mortal dread had mastered him body and soul--and his own recognition of
Pesca was the cause of it!

The slim man with the scar on his cheek was still close by us. He had
apparently drawn his inference from the effect produced on the Count by
the sight of Pesca as I had drawn mine. He was a mild, gentlemanlike
man, looking like a foreigner, and his interest in our proceedings was
not expressed in anything approaching to an offensive manner.

For my own part I was so startled by the change in the Count's face, so
astounded at the entirely unexpected turn which events had taken, that
I knew neither what to say or do next. Pesca roused me by stepping
back to his former place at my side and speaking first.

"How the fat man stares!" he exclaimed. "Is it at ME? Am I famous? How
can he know me when I don't know him?"

I kept my eye still on the Count. I saw him move for the first time
when Pesca moved, so as not to lose sight of the little man in the
lower position in which he now stood. I was curious to see what would
happen if Pesca's attention under these circumstances was withdrawn
from him, and I accordingly asked the Professor if he recognised any of
his pupils that evening among the ladies in the boxes. Pesca
immediately raised the large opera-glass to his eyes, and moved it
slowly all round the upper part of the theatre, searching for his
pupils with the most conscientious scrutiny.

The moment he showed himself to be thus engaged the Count turned round,
slipped past the persons who occupied seats on the farther side of him
from where we stood, and disappeared in the middle passage down the
centre of the pit. I caught Pesca by the arm, and to his inexpressible
astonishment, hurried him round with me to the back of the pit to
intercept the Count before he could get to the door. Somewhat to my
surprise, the slim man hastened out before us, avoiding a stoppage
caused by some people on our side of the pit leaving their places, by
which Pesca and myself