midinette of the rue de la Paix and a daughter of
Batignolles.

"Madame she t'ink it all in de beezeness," she contented herself with
saying.

With her left hand Miss Vanzetti put soft touches to the big black
coils of her back hair. "See that kid that all these things is goin'
to? Gee, but she's beginnin' to step out. I know her. Spotted her the
minute she come in to try on. Me and she went to the same school.
Lived in the same street. Name of Letty Gravely."

Seeing that she was expected to make a response mademoiselle could
think of nothing better than to repeat in her pretty staccato English:
"Name of Let-ty Grav-el-ly."

"Stepfather's name was Judson Flack. Company-promoter he called
himself. Mother croaked three or four years ago, just before we moved
to Harlem. Never saw no more of her till she walked in here with the
old white slaver what's payin' for the outfit. Gee, you needn't tell
me! S'pose she'll hit the pace till some fella chucks her. Gee, I'm
sorry. Awful slim chance a girl'll get when some guy with a wad blows
along and wants her." The theme exhausted Miss Vanzetti asked
suddenly: "Why don't you never come to the Lantern?"

In her broken English mademoiselle explained that she didn't know the
American dances, but that a fella had promised to teach her the steps.
She had met him at the house of a cousin who was married to a waiter
chez Bouquin. Ver' beautiful fella, he was, and had invited her to a
chop suey dinner that evening, with the dance at the Lantern to wind
up with. Most ver' beautiful fella, single, and a detective.

"Good for you," Miss Vanzetti commanded. "If you don't dance you might
as well be dead, I'll say. Keeps you thin, too; and the music at the
Lantern is swell."

The incident is so slight that to get its significance you must link
it up with the sound of the telephone which, as a simultaneous
happening, was waking Judson Flack from his first real sleep after an
uncomfortable night. Nothing but the fear lest by ignoring the call
the great North Dakota Oil Company whose shares would soon be on the
market, would be definitely launched without his assistance dragged
him from his bed.

"Hello?"

A woman's voice inquired: "Is this Hudson 283-J?"

"You bet."

"Is Miss Gravely in?"

"Just gone out. Only round the corner. Back in a few minutes. Say,
sister, I'm her stepfather, and 'll take the message."

"Tell her to come right over to the Excelsior Studio. Castin'
direct