t company and a matter of millions. And it seemed to me that my
black-bearded friend Titeroff, and Mayhew, were both pulling the
strings cleverly for me in the right direction. Often I considered
whether they were both crooks and members of the gang organized by
Rayne. I could not determine.

One night at the weekly dance at the Military Club--a function at
which the smart set of Sofia always attend, and at which the Ministers
of State themselves with their women-folk put in an appearance--I had
been waltzing with the Minister Petkoff's daughter, a pretty,
dark-haired girl in blue, whom I had met at Titeroff's house--when
presently the Turkish attache, a pale-faced young man in a fez,
introduced me to a tall, very handsome, sweet-faced girl in a black
evening gown.

Mademoiselle Balesco was her name, and I found her inexpressibly
charming. She spoke French perfectly, and English quite well. She had
been at school in England, she said--at Scarborough. Her home was at
Galatz, in Roumania.

We had several dances, and afterwards I took her down to supper. Then
we had a couple of fox-trots, and I conducted her out to the car that
was awaiting her and bowing, watched her drive off, alone.

But while doing so, there came along the pavement, out of the shadow,
the short, ugly figure of the old Greek, Vassos, with his coat collar
turned up, evidently passing without noticing me.

A few days later when in the evening I was chatting with Mayhew at the
hotel, he said:

"What have you been up to, Hargreave? Look here! This letter was left
upon me, with a note, asking me to give it to you in secret. Looks
like a woman's hand! Mind what you're about in this place, old chap.
There are some nasty pitfalls, you know!"

With a bachelor's curiosity he was eager to know who was my fair
correspondent. But I refused to satisfy him.

Suffice it to say that that same night I went alone to a house on the
outskirts of Sofia, and there met, at her urgent request, Marie
Balesco. After apologizing for thus approaching me and throwing all
the _convenances_ to the wind, she seemed to be highly interested in
my welfare, and very inquisitive concerning the reasons that had
brought me to Bulgaria.

Like most women of to-day, she smoked, and offered me her
cigarette-case. I took one--a delicious one it was, but rather
strong--so strong, indeed, that a strange drowsiness suddenly overcame
me. Before I could fight against it, the small, well-fur