Part 34 (1/2)

It will be remembered that Davies had never been to the villa before

XXIV Finesse

THE door of a rooround floor was opened to us by a man-servant As we entered the rattle of a piano stopped, and a hot wave of ar s I noticed over Davies's shoulder, as he preceded me into the roo round fro him up and doith a disdainful fa dress, pronounced in cut and colour; had a certain exuberant beauty, not wholly ascribable to nature, and a notable lack of breeding Another glance showed lass of brandy, and rising fro of a start; and another, von Bruning, lying back in a corner of a sofa, s; on the same sofa, _vis-a-vis_ to him, was--yes, of course it was--Clara DollhtFor the rest, I are that the room was furnished with ostentation, and was stuffy with stove-engendered warht course for Dollmann, and shook his hand with businesslike resolution Then he tacked across to the sofa, abandoning me in the face of the enemy

'Mr--?' said Dollmann

'Carruthers,' I answered, distinctly 'I ith Davies in the boat just now, but I don't think he introducedtowards Davies, who, having presented hi feebly froue-tied aardness (The commander nodded totoldmy allusion, 'but I was not quite sure of the naave a sudden, ht hiht, he was in some respects a pleasant surprise, the re an impression of intellectual power and restless, aly

'What need?' I said 'I have heard so --that we seem to be old friends already'

He shot a doubtful look at me, and a diversion came from the piano

'And now, for Heaven's sake,' cried the lady of the perfume, 'let us join Herr Bohme at supper!'

'Let me present you to my wife,' said Dollmann

So this was the stepmother; unmistakably German, I may add I made my bow, and underwent much the same sort of frank scrutiny as Davies, only that it was rather more favourable to eneral movement and further introductions Davies was led to the stephter with quickened pulses, and a sudden sense of added complexity in the issues I had, of course,of yesterday, and had assunore it--we ers; nor did I venture (for other eyes were upon us) to transence to her But the nextif I had not fallen into a trap She had promised not to tell, but under what circuain; themistress, fresh as a dewy flower, but blanched and de to ain, pro to be silent, but as much in her own interest as ours, and under that implied condition which I had only equivocally refused The condition was violated, not by her fault or ours, but violated She was free to help her father against us, and was she helping hie in her; that she--how can I express it without offence?--was less in discord with her surroundings than she should have been; that in dress, pose and ed so the style of the other woinal conception of her, so brutally avowed to Davies, so signally, as I had thought, falsified In the sick perplexity that this discovery caused me I dare say I looked as foolish as Davies had done, and more so, for the close heat of the roo so abruptly to the wholeso me a faintness which this 's face wore a sneering s, I found another pair of eyes fixed on ure had appeared at a pair of folding doors leading to an adjoining roo in the scene before hi shrewdness I instantly noticed a faint red weal relieving the ivory of his bald head; and I had suffered too often in the sain, na explorer, Boho, and bullied and starved hiether yet I believe his sufferings have been terrible'

'His sufferings are over,' I retorted 'I'vewith soleaucherie_ at Miss Dolllish 'Oh, yes, Carruthers has to go hoo

No one spoke for a e ready

'Well, are we never going to have supper?' said madame, i doors There had been little fors so far, and there was less still in the supper-room Bohme resumed his repast with appetite, and the rest of us sat down apparently at rando method was discernible As it worked out, Dollht and Bohht and von Bruning on her left The seventh personage, Fraulein Dollmann, was between the commander and Davies on the side opposite to me No servants appeared, and aited on ourselves I have a vague recollection of various excellent dishes, and a distinct one of abundance of wine

Sone, and I confess that I drained it with honest avidity, blessing the craftsman who coaxed forth the essence, the fruit that harboured it, the sun that war so suddenly?' said von Bruning to me across the table

'Didn't I tell you we had to call here for letters? I gotothers a summons back to work Of course I id silence) 'The annoying thing was that there were two letters, and if I had only coot the first, which gave me an extension'

'You are very conscientious Hoill they know?'

'Ah, but the second's rather urgent'

There was another uncomfortable silence, broken by Dollht to apologize to you for--'