night by a foreigner in yellow canvas cloth. It jumped out of the scrap of paper in which it was wrapped——” 

 “Jumped?” 

 “If it didn’t jump I don’t know what it did do; I can tell you it took me aback. Miss Ashton threw it on to the floor; yet, when I woke up this morning, it was on my forehead, though how it got there I know no more than the dead.” 

 “Are you in earnest, Pollie?” 

 “Dead earnest. It’s my belief I left it in the bedroom, though I might have put it in my pocket, but how it came on to my knee is just what I can’t say.” 

 Mr. Paine was dividing his attention between me and the thing. 

 “This is very interesting, Miss Blyth. Especially as I also have had a curious experience or two lately. Can you describe the person who gave it you?” 

 I described him, to the best of my ability. 

 “That is—odd.” 

 His tone seemed to suggest that something in my description had struck him; though what it was he did not explain. 

 “You’d better throw that thing out of the window,” I said. “I’ve had enough of it.” 

 “Thank you; but, if you have no use for it, if you do not mind, I should like to retain it in my own possession. It’s a curiosity, and—I’m interested in curiosities.” 

 He slipped it into his waistcoat pocket. I noticed that once or twice he felt with his fingers, as if to make sure that it still was there. 

 Mr. Paine was very civil to us when we reached his office—a funny, dark little place it was. He got out some cake, and biscuits, and a decanter of wine, and Emily and I helped ourselves, for I was starving. Sitting at a table in front of us, he took some papers out of a drawer, and began to look at them. Now that I could notice him more I could see that he was tall and well set up; quite the gentleman; with one of those clear-cut faces, and keen grey eyes, with not a hair upon it—I mean upon his face, of course, because I particularly observed that his teeth and eyelashes were perfect. 

 “Before I go into the subject on which I have ventured 

 Prev. P 32/229 next