she thought of his
abrupt departure. If he were really a night bird he would surely have
stood his ground. He would not have been got rid of so easily. No; he
would probably have coolly pocketed the shilling, and then have entered
into conversation with her, have chaffed her vulgarly about her methods
with admirers, and have asked her to go to a cafe or somewhere with him,
and to spend the shilling and other shillings in his company.

No doubt he had been waiting for a friend at the door of the Cafe Royal,
had seen her go by, and had yielded to an impulse prompting him to an
adventure. He was not an Englishman or an American. She felt certain
of that. And she knew very well the views many foreigners, especially
Latins, even of good birth hold about the propriety of showing their
admiration for women in the street.

She was glad she had had a thick veil on. If later she made acquaintance
with this man, she did not wish him to know that she and the girl who
had offered him a shilling were one and the same. If he knew she might
be at a certain disadvantage with him.

She turned into Soho and was immediately conscious of a slightly
different atmosphere. There were fewer people about and the street was
not so brightly lit up, or at any rate seemed to her darker. She heard
voices speaking Italian in the shadows. The lights of small restaurants
glimmered faintly on the bone-dry pavement. She was nearing the _Bella
Napoli_. Soon she heard the distant sound of guitars.

Where she was walking at this moment there was no one. She stood still
for an instant considering. If Lady Sellingworth and Craven were really
dining together, as she suspected, and at the _Bella Napoli_, she could
see them from the street if they had a table near the window. If they
were not seated near the window she might not be able to see them. In
that case, what was she going to do?

After a moment's thought she resolved that if she did not see them from
the street she would go into the restaurant and dine there alone. They
would see her of course, if they were there, and would no doubt be
surprised and decidedly uncomfortable. But that could not be helped.
Having come so far she was determined not to go back to the hotel
without making sure whether her suspicion was correct. If, on the other
hand, they were dining at a table near the window she resolved not to
enter the restaurant.

Having come to this decision she walked on.

The musicians were pl