nished room
seemed to whirl about me, and I must have fallen unconscious. Indeed,
I knew no more until, on awakening, I found myself back in my bed at
the Hotel de Bulgarie.

I gazed at the morning sunshine upon the wall, and tried to recollect
what had occurred.

My hand seemed strangely painful. Raising it from the sheets, I looked
at it.

Upon my right palm, branded as by a hot iron, was the sign of the
dog's pad!

Horrified, I stared at it! It was the same mark I had seen upon the
hand of old Vassos! What could be its significance?

In a few days the burn healed, leaving a dark red scar, the distinct
imprint of a dog's foot. From Mayhew I tried, by cautious questions,
to obtain some information concerning the fair-faced girl who had
played such a trick upon me. But he only knew her slightly. He amazed
me by saying that she had been staying with a certain Madame Sovoff,
who was something of a mystery, but had left Sofia.

Vassos, who was still at the hotel, annoyed me on account of his
extreme politeness, and the manner in which he appeared to spy upon my
movements.

I came across him everywhere. Inquiries concerning the reason of the
ugly Greek's presence in Bulgaria met with a negative result. One
thing seemed certain, he was not, as I believed, a prince incognito.

How I longed to go to him, show him the mark upon my hand, and demand
an explanation. But my curiosity was aroused, therefore I patiently
awaited developments, my revolver always ready in my pocket in case
of foul play.

The mysterious action of the pretty girl from Galatz also puzzled me.

At last the Cabinet, after much political jugglery, being deposed, the
Council were in complete accord with Petkoff regarding my proposals.
All had been done in secret from the party in opposition, and one day
I had lunched with His Excellency the Minister of Finance at his house
in the suburbs of the city.

Nevertheless, I was obsessed by the strange mark which had been so
mysteriously placed upon my hand--the same mark as that borne by the
mysterious Vassos.

"You may send a cipher dispatch to London if you like, Mr. Hargreave,"
said the Minister Petkoff, as we sat over our cigars. "The documents
will be all signed at the Cabinet meeting at noon to-morrow. In
exchange for this loan raised in London, all the contracts for the new
quick-firing guns and ammunition go to your group of London
financiers."

Such was the welcome news His Excellency impa