The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-12-29
CHAPTER II.

as we drove down the Boulevard des Ca
pucines, and drew up at length at the
Hotel Scribe, which is by the opera house.
Mary uttered a hundred EXPLANATIONS of
joy as we passed through the city of
lights; and Roderick, who loved Paris,
condescended to keep awake!
"I'll tell you what" he exclaimed, "the
beauty of this place is that no one thinks
here, except about cooking. Suppose we
plan a nice little dinner for four?"
"For two, my dear fellow, if you
please" said Han. with mock of state
he was quite the Perfect Fool again. "Mr.
Mark Strong condescends to dine with
NEEDN'T you, Mr.. MarkT"
"The fact is, Roderick," 1 explained,
that l made promise to meet one of
Mr.. Halls friends tonight, so you and
Mary must dine alone"
Hall and l mounted the stairs of the
cozy little hotel, whose windows overlook
the core of the great throbbing heart of
Paris, and so until we were alone in my
room, whittier he had followed me.
"Quick's the word" he said, as he shut
the door, and took several articles from
his hat box. Zone pair of spectacles, one
WlSp OuC oCl VI CuIlOSAtlcS W -OO L
look like a secondhand dealer in odd
lots, Mr.. Mark Strong?"
l had never seen such an utter change
in any man made with such little show.
The Perfect Fool was no longer before
ne; there was in his place a lounging,
shady-looking, greed-haunted Hebrew. The
Launching of the shoulders was perfect |;
the stoop. the walk, were triumphs.
''Its five minutes from here" he said,
'and the clocks are going eight-you are
right as you are, for you are cipher
in the affair yet"
He passed down the stairs and fol-
lowed him. So good was his disguise and
make-pretense that the Others, who were
in the narrow hall drew back to let him
go, not recognizing him. and spoke to me,
asking what had done with HIM. Then
l pointed to the new Perfect Fool, and
without another word of explanation went
on into the street.
We walked in silence for some little
distance. Finally he turned, crossing a
busy thoroughfare and stopped quite sud-
denly at last in narrow street. He had
something to say to me.
"This is the place." he said. You carry
this box of meta1"-he meant the case of
curiosities-''and don't open your mouth.
Keep hold on your eyes. whatever you
see or whatever you hear Do l look all
right?
"Perfectly-but just a word; if we are
going into some den where we NAV have
difficulty in getting out again, wouldn't
it be as well to go armed?"
Armed !-pish !'-and he looked un-
utterable contempt, treading the passage
with long strides, and entering a house
at the far end of it.
Thither | followed him and found nv
self at last on the third floor, before q
door of thick oak. Our first knocking
upon this had no effect. Then | heard
great rolling voice which seemed to echo
on the stairway, and so leapt from fight
to flight, almost Ike the rattle of a can
non shot with its many reverberations
For the moment indistinct, l then be-
came aware that the voice was that of
man singing and walking at the same
time.
When the noise stopped at last, there
was silence, complete and unbroxen. Hall
stood motionless. After that we heard
great yell from the same voice. with
the words, "Ahoy, Splinters, shift along
the gear, viii you?" A mumbled dis
cussion seemed to tread on the heels of
the huliabaloo, when, apparently having
arranged the gear" to satisfaction, the
man stalked to the door.
"Hullo-the little Jew and his kick
shaws; why, matey, so early in the morn
ing"
The exclamation came as he saw us,
putting his head round the door, and
showing one arm swathed all up in dirty
red flannel. He was no sort of man
to look at, for his head was a mass of
dirty yellow hair, and his face did not
seem to have known an ablution for a
week. But there was an ugly jocular look
about his rabbit-like eyes, and great
mark cut clean into the side of his face,
which were a fit decoration for the red
burnt, pitted, and horribly repulsive coun-
tenance he betrayed. looked at him
and drew back repelled. This he saw,
and with flush and a display Of ono
great stump of q tooth wllich protruded
on his LEFT lip. he turned on me.