handle, apparently conscious of the fact that the landlord had glued his
eyes to the keyhole in order that he might, from a precautionary point
of view, take further stock of his patron. Foiled in his intention he
returned to the bar, murmuring "Anglish Peeg" to himself as he did so.
In the meantime the stranger had seated himself upon the rough bed in
the corner, and had taken a letter from his pocket.

"The Hotel of the Three Desires," he reads, "and on March the fifteenth,
without fail." There was a pause while he folded the letter up and
placed it in his pocket. Then he continued, "this is the hotel, and
to-day is the fifteenth of March. But why don't they put in an
appearance. It isn't like them to be late. They'd better not play me any
tricks or they'll find I have lost none of my old power of retaliation."

Having satisfied himself that it was impossible for any one to see into
the room, either through the keyhole or by means of the window, he
partially disrobed, and, when he had done so, unbuckled from round his
waist a broad leather money-belt. Seating himself on the bed once more
he unfastened the strap of the pocket, and dribbled the contents on to
the bed. They consisted of three Napoleons, fifteen English sovereigns,
four half-sovereigns, and eighteen one-franc pieces. In his
trouser-pocket he had four Mexican dollars, and some cosmopolitan change
of small value.

"It's not very much," he muttered to himself after he had counted it,
"but it ought to be sufficient for the business in hand. If I hadn't
been fool enough to listen to that Frenchwoman on board, I shouldn't
have played cards, and then it would have been double. Why the deuce
wasn't I able to get Monsieur ashore? In that case I'd have got it all
back, or I'd have known the reason why."

The idea seemed to afford him some satisfaction, for he smiled, and then
said to himself as if in terms of approbation, "By Jove, I believe
you, my boy!"

When he had counted his money and had returned it once more to its
hiding-place, he buckled the belt round his person and unstrapped his
valise, taking from it a black _Tussa_ coat which he exchanged for that
hanging upon the handle of the door. Then he lighted a Java cigar and
sat down upon the bed to think. Taken altogether, his was not a
prepossessing countenance. The peculiar attributes I have already
described were sufficient to prevent that. At the same time it was a
strong face, that of a man who wa