rg whom he further more
invited to have another drink, this time with him, and not to worry
himself about things he did not understand; and especially not to be
inhospitable--which in a hotel-keeper is highly unprofessional.

"I don't understand," grumbled Schomberg. "Oh, yes, I understand
perfectly well. I--"

"You are frightened," interrupted Mr. Jones. "What is the matter?"

"I don't want any scandal in my place. That's what's the matter."

Schomberg tried to face the situation bravely, but that steady, black
stare affected him. And when he glanced aside uncomfortably, he met
Ricardo's grin uncovering a lot of teeth, though the man seemed absorbed
in his thoughts all the time.

"And, moreover," went on Mr. Jones in that distant tone of his, "you
can't help yourself. Here we are and here we stay. Would you try to
put us out? I dare say you could do it; but you couldn't do it without
getting hurt--very badly hurt. We can promise him that, can't we,
Martin?"

The secretary retracted his lips and looked up sharply at Schomberg, as
if only too anxious to leap upon him with teeth and claws.

Schomberg managed to produce a deep laugh.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Mr Jones closed his eyes wearily, as if the light hurt them, and looked
remarkably like a corpse for a moment. This was bad enough; but when he
opened them again, it was almost a worse trial for Schomberg's nerves.
The spectral intensity of that glance, fixed on the hotel-keeper (and
this was most frightful) without any definite expression, seemed to
dissolve the last grain of resolution in his character.

"You don't think, by any chance, that you have to do with ordinary
people, do you?" inquired Mr. Jones, in his lifeless manner, which
seemed to imply some sort of menace from beyond the grave.

"He's a gentleman," testified Martin Ricardo with a sudden snap of the
lips, after which his moustaches stirred by themselves in an odd, feline
manner.

"Oh, I wasn't thinking of that," said plain Mr. Jones, while Schomberg,
dumb and planted heavily in his chair looked from one to the other,
leaning forward a little. "Of course I am that; but Ricardo attaches
too much importance to a social advantage. What I mean, for instance, is
that he, quiet and inoffensive as you see him sitting here, would think
nothing of setting fire to this house of entertainment of yours. It
would blaze like a box of matches. Think of that! It wouldn't advance
your affairs much, would it?--what