fixed right upon him. I had arranged this little surprise to
see how it would affect him.

"Perhaps my gaze may have expressed something more than the mere
distraction I intended; but I noticed--though a more indifferent
observer might easily have failed to notice--how the great yellow face,
expanded in childish interest in the childish game, seemed suddenly to
grow gray and harden; how the fat smile became a cruel baring of sharp
white teeth; how the fat chin squared itself. The man knew me, and
scented danger.

"A moment's reflection convinced Monsieur Steinmetz, though, that it
could be by no means so certain that I knew him; five minutes'
observation of me more than half satisfied him that I did not. Yet what
did I want there? What was I doing in Paris? This might concern him
nearly, he must have thought.

"I kept my own face in order, and watched his. It wasn't an easy one to
read; but you see I had studied it closely, and in a way he couldn't
have dreamed of. Monsieur Steinmetz was outwardly his wonted self, but
inwardly not quite comfortable when he rose; and I saw the evil eye
gleam on his great yellow finger as he took out his purse to pay the
_garcon_, just as I had seen it when that finger pointed at _myself_ in
my dream. I felt curious sensations, Bertie, as I sat there and looked
abstractedly at Monsieur Steinmetz. I wondered how long it would be
before----But my time hadn't come yet. He went out without another
glance at me. I saw his huge form on the other side of the street when I
left the cafe in my turn. This I had expected. Monsieur Steinmetz was
naturally curious. It was hardly possible that I could know him; but it
was quite certain that he ought to know all about me. So, when I moved
on, he moved on; in short, Monsieur Steinmetz dogged me up one street
and down another, till he finally dogged me home to my hiding-place in
the Pays Latin. He did it very well, too--much better than you would
have expected from so apparently unwieldy a _mouchard_. But I
_remembered_ how lightly he could move.

"Next day I had, of course, disappeared from my old quarters, and gone
no one knew where. I suppose Monsieur Steinmetz didn't like this fact
when he heard of it. It might have seemed suspicious. Suppose I _had_
recognized him? In that case I had evidently a little game of my own,
and was as evidently desirous to keep it dark. He was a cool hand; but I
fancy my man began to get a little uneasy. He took some t