s?" he asked.

"Three or four days ago," I answered.

He raised his eyebrows.

"I know that I ought to have come at once," I said, "but there were
several things in London. I found it hard to get away."

"Well?" he said.

"I met Tapilow face to face at a little French cafe," I told him.
"They tell me that he will recover, but he is maimed and scarred for
life."

My brother showed no excitement--scarcely, even, any interest in my
information. His face, however, had darkened.

"I am glad that you did not kill him outright," he said. "Tell me,
are you likely to get into any trouble for this?"

"No!" I assured him. "The affair happened in a very dubious sort of
place. I don't think I shall hear anything more about it unless from
Tapilow himself."

Ralph nodded.

"We will close the chapter," he said.

"You have no news--"

"None!" he interrupted me, shortly. "We will close the chapter."

So I spoke to him no more on his own affairs. His servant brought in
the letters and papers, poked the fire, and announced that breakfast
was ready.

"You will have something, Austen?" he asked.

"I have only had a continental breakfast," I answered. "I dare say I
can manage to eat something."

"I have a letter from Dicky," he remarked, later on. "Asks me to be
civil, if I can, to some people who have been remarkably kind to him
out in Brazil. They have an estate there."

I nodded.

"Dicky doing all right?" I asked.

"Seems to be," Ralph answered.

Dicky was our younger brother, and rather a wanderer.

"What is the name of the people who are coming over?" I asked.

"Some odd name," Ralph answered,--"Delora, I think."

Ralph had drawn the _Times_ towards him, and he did not notice my
start. I sat looking at him in blank amazement.

"Ralph!" I said presently.

My brother looked up.

"Have you got Dicky's letter on you?" I asked.

He passed it over to me. I skimmed through the first part until I came
to the sentence which interested me.

I have been out staying at an awfully fine estate here, right on
the Pampas. It belongs to some people called Delora. One of the
brothers is just off to Europe, on some Government business, and
will be in London for a few days with his niece, I expect. He is
going to stay at the Milan Hotel, and it would be awfully good of
you if you would look him up, or drop him a line. They really have
been very kind to me out here.

I pushed the letter bac