shingly clever--a wisp of inspiration. Yes, a girl of
course; but she had all the lines of a boy--the perfect limbs of an
athlete. I took her from her circus. I should have paid her well had she
remained with me. But before the picture was finished, she was tired. She
was a little serpent--wily and wicked. One day we had a small discussion
in my studio--oh, quite a small discussion. And she stuck her poison-fang
into me--and fled." Spentoli's teeth gleamed through his black moustache.
"I do not like these serpent-women," he said. "When I meet her again--it
will be my turn to strike."

"Our turn so seldom comes," said Saltash lazily, his eyes wandering to
the door. "Mademoiselle Rozelle for instance would hold her own against
any of us."

"Ah! Rozelle!" Spentoli's face changed magically. "But she is
beautiful--and without venom--a rose without a thorn!"

Saltash's mouth twitched mockingly. "And without a heart also?" he
suggested.

"She is all heart!" cried Spentoli, with flashing eyes.

Saltash laughed aloud. "That also is sometimes a drawback, _mon ami_. I
gather she is the attraction who has drawn you here."

"She draws all the world," said Spentoli.

And with that he sprang to his feet, for there was a general stir in the
vestibule, such as might herald the coming of a queen. In a moment the
buzz of voices died down, and a great silence fell. Saltash remained
seated, a certain arrogance in his pose, though his eyes also watched the
door.

There came the sound of a laugh--a clear, ringing laugh, childishly,
irresistibly gay--and a figure in blue came in through the marble
pillars. As a queen they had prepared for her, and as a queen she
entered--a being so exquisite, so goddess-like, that every breath was
drawn in wonder.

She looked around her with eyes that shone like sapphires. Her red lips
were parted. She had the expectant look of girlhood, yet her beauty had a
quality unknown to youth. And it was to that quality, almost unknown to
himself, that Saltash did homage as he rose.

Her look flashed across to him, comprehended his action, and laughed open
triumph. Then with a suddenness almost too swift to follow, she turned to
a man who had entered behind her and softly spoke.

Saltash's eyes went to the man, and he drew a low whistle between his
teeth. It was well known that Rozelle Daubeni never travelled without an
escort; but this man--this man--He was tall and broad, and he carried
himself with a su