er gathered. He
was correct.

"Exactly so," Signor Stefani told him. "Of course, on the same terms as
before, if the Signor would be satisfied with them."

"Terms?" Peter repeated after him.

Signor Stefani became more explicit. He named the terms.

"That was what I paid Signor Margerison before, for an article on a
pseudo-Sienese chalice. But the vases are better; they are good; they
might deceive an expert. Truly, they might be antiques!"

He continued to talk, while Peter listened. He was taking it in rather
slowly. But at last, not being stupid, he no longer thought Hilary so. He
understood.

He stood up presently, looking a little dazed.

"It appears," he said slowly, in his broken Italian, to Signor Stefani,
"that you are making a rather bad mistake, which is a pity. I think you
had better go home."

Signor Stefani gave a startled upward twist to his moustache, and stood
up too.

"Excuse me," he said rather angrily, "there is no mistake. Your brother
and I have very frequently had affairs together."

Peter looked at him, frowning doubtfully as he collected his words.

"I am right, I think," he said slowly, "that you are offering my brother
a bribe to publish a fraudulent article on fraudulent goods of yours?
That is so? Then, as I said, you are making a very serious mistake,
and ... and you had better go home. Will you come this way, please?"

Signor Stefani continued to talk, but so rapidly and loudly now that
Peter couldn't follow him. He merely shook his head and opened the door,
saying, "This way, please. I can't understand you when you talk so fast."

Signor Stefani, with a final angry shrug and expectoration, permitted
himself to be ushered out of the room.

On the stairs outside they met Vyvian coming up, who nodded affably to
both of them. Signor Stefani, as he passed, shrugged his shoulders up to
his ears and spread his two hands wide, with a look of resigned despair
over his shoulder at Peter, and Vyvian's brows went up at the gesture.
Peter ushered his guest out at the street entrance. Signor Stefani's last
words were, "I shall return shortly and see your brother in person. I
have made a foolish mistake in thinking that you were in his confidence.
Good evening."

So they parted, more in sorrow than in anger.

Peter met Vyvian again on the stairs. He was passing on, but Vyvian
stopped and said, "What have you been doing to Stefani to put him out
so?"

Peter stopped and looked at him