you blush?" she asked with some interest.

"He blushed because of your unpardonable familiarity in calling him
Richard," laughed Sarakoff.

"I shall be most happy, Leonora," I stammered, making an immense effort,
and longing for the waiter to bring the champagne. "But I am not good at
the art."

"But you must try."

I saw no way out of the predicament. Sarakoff's eyes were twinkling
roguishly, so I began, keeping my gaze on the table.

"You have a well-controlled character, with a considerable power of
knowing exactly what you want to do with your life, and you come from
the North. I fancy you sleep badly."

"How do you know I sleep badly?" she challenged.

"Your eyes are a clear frosty blue, and you are of rather slight build.
I am merely speaking from my own experience as a doctor."

I suppose my words were not particularly gracious or well-spoken.
Leonora simply nodded and leaned back from the table.

"Now, Alexis, tell me about myself," she said.

My glass now contained champagne and I decided to allow that wizard to
take charge of my affairs for a time.

"Leonora, you are one of those women who visit this dull planet from
time to time for reasons best known to themselves. I think you must come
from Venus, or one of the asteroids; or it may be from Sirius. From the
beginning you knew you were not like ordinary people."

"Alexis," she drawled, "you are boring me."

"Capital!" said Sarakoff. "Now we will descend to facts, as our friend
here did. You are the most inordinately vain, ambitious, cold-hearted
woman in Europe, Leonora. You value yourself before everything. You
think your voice and your beauty cannot be beaten, and you are right.
Now if I were to tell you that your voice and your beauty could be
preserved, year after year, without any change, what would you think?"

A kind of fierce vitality sprang into her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly. "Have you discovered the elixir
of youth?"

He nodded. She laid her hand on his arm.

"How long does its effect last?"

"Well--for a considerable time."

"You are certain?"

"Absolutely."

She leaned towards him.

"You will let no one else have it, Alexis," she asked softly. "Only me?"

Sarakoff glanced at me.

"Leonora, you are very selfish."

"Of course."

"Well, you are not the only person who is going to have the elixir. The
whole world is going to have it."

I watched her with absorbed attention. She seemed to accept t