played! They two had
cost the ambassador eight thousand francs. Fame and fortune! Fortune she
could understand; but fame! What was it? Upon a time she believed she had
known what fame was; but that had been when she was striving for it. A
glowing article in a newspaper, a portrait in a magazine, rows upon rows
of curious eyes and a patter of hands upon hands; that was all; and for
this she had given the best of her life, and she was only twenty-five.

The limousine stopped at last. The man in the Bavarian hat saw her alight.
His car turned and disappeared. It had taken him a week to discover where
she lived. His lodgings were on the other side of the Seine. After
reaching them he gave crisp orders to the driver, who set his machine off
at top speed. The man in the Bavarian hat entered his room and lighted the
gas. The room was bare and cheaply furnished. He took off his coat but
retained his hat, pulling it down still farther over his eyes. His face
was always in shadow. A round chin, two full red lips, scantily covered by
a blond mustache were all that could be seen. He began to walk the floor
impatiently, stopping and listening whenever he heard a sound. He waited
less than an hour for the return of the car. It brought two men. They were
well-dressed, smoothly-shaven, with keen eyes and intelligent faces. Their
host, who had never seen either of his guests before, carelessly waved his
hand toward the table where there were two chairs. He himself took his
stand by the window and looked out as he talked. In another hour the room
was dark and the street deserted.

In the meantime the prima donna gave a sigh of relief. She was home. It
was nearly two o'clock. She would sleep till noon, and Saturday and Sunday
would be hers. She went up the stairs instead of taking the lift, and
though the hall was dark, she knew her way. She unlocked the door of the
apartment and entered, swinging the door behind her. As the act was
mechanical, her thoughts being otherwise engaged, she did not notice that
the lock failed to click. The ferrule of a cane had prevented that.

She flung her wraps on the divan and put the roses in an empty bowl. The
door opened softly, without noise. Next, she stopped before the mirror
over the mantel, touched her hair lightly, detached the tiara of emeralds
... and became as inanimate as marble. She saw another face. She never
knew how long the interval of silence was. She turned slowly.

"Yes, it is I!" s