s to be an Egyptian
Greek with a strain of Armenian in him. Personally, I believed him to be
simply a runner for a ship-chandler of whom perhaps you have
heard--Captain Macedoine.'

"M. Kinaitsky sat with one arm on the little table between us and
regarded me from under sharp black brows with motionless interest. As I
mentioned the name of Captain Macedoine he stroked his moustache, and
then drew his other hand from his pocket and placed on the table a heavy
American revolver.

"'Pardon,' he said, 'but I am unable to see how you come to know this
Nikitos.... Oh, he is a ship-chandler, you say. Well, he may be that
also. But you are not conversant with affairs here or you would
appreciate the danger of being friendly with internationalists. That by
the way. Your friend,' he went on with gentle irony, 'came here to-night
with three men such as can be hired for a few _drachma_ in any of the
alleys of the _Cite Saul_, to obtain some important documents from my
safe. Unfortunately for them the safe is of the latest London pattern
with a time-lock, which I bought when in England last year. They only
succeeded in alarming my servants and we secured the three men. The
leader, this Nikitos, who is well-known as one of those who sell
information to the Hellenic Government, a spy and a harbour pimp,
escaped. A most unfortunate accident.'

"'But what harm can such a disreputable being do to a man like you?' I
enquired in astonishment. M. Kinaitsky spun the chambers of the
revolver with his finger.

"'It is impossible,' he observed, calmly, 'to conceive of a state of
things in which a disreputable being can not do harm to one who
cherishes his reputation. Consider----' he went on, his finger leaving
the weapon and levelled at me. 'He has nothing to lose. He is the dupe
of desperate and cunning persons who wish to destroy the government. He
is poor, and he probably is driven by some woman to obtain money for her
gratification at all costs.'

"'No,' I said. 'You don't know M. Nikitos. He has a very peculiar
attitude toward women. You might almost call him vociferously virtuous.
Perhaps,' I added, 'you do not know either that he was supposed to marry
Captain Macedoine's daughter? She turned him out. They were on the
Island of Ipsilon together.'

"I don't know," said Mr. Spenlove, "how I expected him to take this, but
I was surprised at his composure. I did not take into adequate
consideration the fact that women were not the sa