nto one of the small reception-rooms, exclaiming: "The baron's engaged,
but I'm sure he would be annoyed if he failed to see you; and I will
inform him at once."

A moment later, the baron entered quite breathless from his hurried
descent of the staircase. "Ah! you have been successful," he exclaimed,
on seeing Pascal's face.

"Everything is progressing as favorably as I could wish, Monsieur
le Baron, but I must speak with that foreigner whom I met here this
morning."

"Kami-Bey?"

"Yes." And in a few words, Pascal explained the situation.

"Providence is certainly on our side," said the baron, thoughtfully.
"Kami is still here."

"Is it possible?"

"It's a fact. Did you think it would be easy to get rid of this
confounded Turk! He invited himself to breakfast without the slightest
ceremony, and would give me no peace until I promised to play with him
for two hours. I was closeted with him, cards in hand, when they told me
you were here. Come, we'll go and question him."

They found the interesting foreigner in a savage mood. He had been
winning when the servant came for the baron, and he feared that an
interruption would change the luck. "What the devil took you away?" he
exclaimed, with that coarseness of manner which was habitual with him,
and which the flatterers around him styled "form." "A man should no more
be disturbed when he's playing than when he's eating."

"Come, come, prince," said the baron, good-naturedly, "don't be angry,
and I'll give you three hours instead of two. But I have a favor to ask
of you."

The foreigner at once thrust his hand into his pocket, with such a
natural gesture, that neither the baron nor Pascal could repress a
smile, and he himself understanding the cause of their merriment broke
into a hearty laugh. "It's purely from force of habit," said he. "Ah!
since I've been in Paris---- But what do you wish?"

The baron sat down, and gravely replied: "You told us scarcely an hour
ago that you had been cheated in the purchase of some horses."

"Cheated! it was worse than highway robbery."

"Would it be indiscreet to ask you by whom you have been defrauded?"

Kami-Bey's purple cheeks became a trifle pale. "Hum!" said he, in
an altered tone of voice, "that is a delicate question. My defrauder
appears to be a dangerous fellow--a duellist--and if I disclose his
knavery, he is quite capable of picking a quarrel with me--not that I am
afraid of him, I assure you, but my principl