My
'conquest' has turned to catastrophe. I have lost everything."

"You mean that you are dissatisfied with the applause?" asked Owen.

"No! No! Applause is nothing from the many. There is always one in
his audience to whom he plays from his soul."

"And that one--tonight?"

"The lovely Miss--what, now, is her name--Marvin. She bewitches me
--and she scorns me."

"Signor Baskinelli, there are other places than drawing rooms, or even
conservatories, in which to capture those who captivate."

"I--do I quite grasp your meaning, Mistaire Owen?" He tried to
disguise the suspicion under an accentuated accent.

"I think so, Monsieur Picquot."

At the name Baskinelli turned livid. He made a movement as if he would
lunge at the throat of Owen, but his fury withered under the glassy
smile.

"So--we met in Paris?"

"Once upon a time--a little incident in the Rue St. Jeanne. A young
woman was concerned in that incident--and was not heard of
afterward."

"And you are trying to blackmail me for the death of Marie Disart!
Ha! That is a jest," cried Baskinelli.

"I am trying to do nothing of the kind. I simply reminded you of the
little affair. I know as well as you that it was all beautifully
cleared up, and a man is still in prison for it. I know you are as
safe here as that man is in jail, Signor Baskinelli."

"What are you talking about, then?"

"The little woman that so charmed you here. I remarked merely that
those who are captivated can capture."

"Not in this country--not among the Puritans. One must be good--
and unhappy."

"You haven't forgotten your little friends, Mario, and Di Palma and
Vitrio? They are all respected residents of New York. We know, where
they might be found."

"At Cagliacci's?"

"Precisely. Dining upon the best of spaghetti and the richest of
wines, and paying for it at the point of a stiletto."

"But--ha! You are talking nonsense. We could not find them; they
could not find us."

"We might telephone and try," suggested Owen. "Cagliacci, you know, is
now up-to-date. He has a telephone. He considers it a sign of
respectability."

"And then what do you propose?"

"Picquot--I mean Signor Baskinelli, I propose nothing. Unless
possibly there might be--after the reception--a little motor trip
to Chinatown. It might amuse the ladies."

"You are right. I will invite them all," said Baskinelli.

"And how about calling up Marie at Cagliacci's just as an old