aven to us, and Lady Sellingworth is so jealous
that she runs out of the restaurant, so that he is obliged to follow her
and leave Miss Van Tuyn--"

"You damned ruffian!" said Sir Seymour.

His face was congested with anger. He put out his arm as if he were
going to seize Arabian by the collar of his jacket. For once in his
life he "saw red"; for once he was forced by indignation into saying
something he would never have said had he given himself time to think.
He was carried away by impulse like a youth in spite of his years, of
his white hair, of his immense natural self-control.

Arabian moved backwards with a swift, wary movement. Sir Seymour did not
follow him. He stood where he was and said again:

"You damned ruffian! If you don't get out of the country I'll set the
police on you."

"Indeed! What for, please?"

"For stealing Lady Sellingworth's jewels in Paris ten years ago!"

Arabian bared his teeth like an animal and half shut his eyes. There was
a strange look about his temples, as if under the deep brown of his skin
something had gone suddenly white.

"Miss Van Tuyn knows that you stole them!"

Arabian drew in his breath sharply. His mouth opened wide.

Sir Seymour turned and went out of the room. He shut the door behind
him. In the little scented hall he caught up his coat and hat. He heard
a door click. The dark man with the light grey eyes showed himself.

"Keep away, you!" said Sir Seymour.

The man stood where he was, and Sir Seymour went out of the flat.

CHAPTER XIV

When Sir Seymour was going out of the main hall of the building in which
Arabian lived a taxicab happened to drive up. A man got out of it and
paid the chauffeur. Sir Seymour made a sign to the chauffeur, who jerked
his head and said:

"Yes, sir."

"Drive me to Claridge's Hotel, please," said Sir Seymour.

He got into the taxicab and was soon away in the night. When he reached
the hotel he went to the bureau and inquired if Miss Van Tuyn was at
home. The man at the bureau, who knew him well, said that she was in,
that she had not been out all day. He would inquire at once if she was
at home to visitors. As he spoke he looked at Sir Seymour with an air of
discreet interest. After a moment at the telephone he asked Sir Seymour
to go upstairs, and called a page-boy to accompany him and show him the
way.

"Henriques," said Sir Seymour, pausing as he was about to follow the
page. "You're a discreet fellow, I know."