Fire-Tongue

the shop of Mr. Jarvis, bootmaker, which is situated at no great distance from the hotel. The impudent fac

He buckled to no one, but took an artistic pride in his own handiwork, criticism fro

premises, but through the doorway the boy could see the red, bespectacled face with its fringe of bristl

nd will never be the Strand again." He turned to his assistant, who stood beside him, bootjack in hand. "If he sends them back again," he directed, "tell him to go to one of the Fren

vis?" inquired the voice of

him. I have more work than I know how to tur

tter, having undone his parcel, was holding

arvis. "He's had the chee

d the shoes from his hand and hurled them to the othe

shouted, "to go to the d

raised arm, backed hastily out into the street. Safety won:

ed again, softly, and then began to run-for the formidable Mr. Jarvis suddenly opened the door. "Hi, boy!" he called to the page. Th

d the boy, impudently-"o

the bootmaker-"and I mean that! Take

apartments of "his excellency," followed by an unintelligible word which presumably represented "Ormuz Khan." The visitor wore a well-brushed but threadbare tweed suit, although his

lers. His hands, too, were toil-stained and his nails very black. He carried a cardboard box. He seemed to be extremely nervous

id the youth. "Are you

isitor, speaking with a marked Man

ng up?" inquired the bo

t enough. That's w

He glanced at the cobbler. "Second floor," he said, tersely, a

oor he should knock, descended again. The cobbler's nervousness thereupon became more marked than ever, so that a

t I'm hanged if I can remember the n

" he said, and rang the bell beside a door. A

an who looked like a Hindu. He wore correct morning dress and t

asked the latter. "I'm from

miling slightly. "Come

ir. From M

de an umbrella rack a high-backed chair was placed. "Sit down,"

ch he held in his hand, and stared about the place vacantly. Once he began to whistle, but checked

ry quickly and adv

he dropped his hat. But at last, leaving his hat upon the chair and carrying the box u

centre of the room were dispatch boxes, neat parcels of documents, ledgers, works of reference, and all the evidence of keen commercial activit

s. As he crossed the threshold the door was closed behind him, and he fou

nsuous yet grossly masculine character which surrounds the wealthy Eastern esthete but quite markedly feminine. There were an extraordinary numb

. This man was apparently young. He wore a rich, brocaded robe, trimmed with marten fur, and out of it his long ivory throat rose statuesquely. H

iental slippers, fur-lined, and his feet rested on a small ottoman. One long, slender hand lay upon a cushion placed on the chair arm, and a pretty girl was bu

is strange black eyes fixed upon the nervous cobbler. The manicurist, after one quick upward glance, continued

cause of her half-kneeling posture, she almost fell, but managed to recover herself by clutching at the edge of a little table upon which the impl

he said. "You h

to gather up the articles upon the

eak," continued the musi

rist hurried from the room. Her eyes were overbright and her lips pathetically tremulous. Ormuz Khan

ve the lid of the cardboard box

" said his excellency. "I instructed you to remeasur

xcellency." And he dropped the box and the

white paper, a pencil, and a tape measure. "Will y

sed his right

off, plea

e other, never removing hi

sir, your excellency,"

pper from a slender, arched foot, bare, of the de

w,

then took certain measurements and made a number of notes with a stub of thick pencil. Whenever

ast, "I should really have taken y

ly the fin

, sir. As

nd measure, and, packing up the

r!" came the

urned. "

be ready

le, your e

shall not a

m a vase close beside him and

, and there was apparently no one else in the place, for

ld have departed without his hat had not

brow with a large, soiled handkerchief. The perfume of hyacinths seemed to have pursued him, bringing with it a memory o

" the youth inquired. "You

ed Parker. "Who were

. A stunnin' bird, too. She came do

porter. "You're asking for the sack

this prospect, and he grinned agreeably at Parker

otel. He did not proceed to the shop of Mr. Jarvis, but, crossing the Strand, mounted a city-bound motor bus and proceeded eastward upon it as far

w stationer. Finally he came to another little shop which had once formed part of a private house. It was of the

d, but Mr. Parker was evidently well acquainted with the establishment, for he unlocked the door

detain him here. There was a second door to be unlocked; and beyond it appeared a flight of narrow stairs-at some time the servant's stair of the partially demolished house

ced by the presence of all sorts of wigs, boxes of false hair, and other items of make-up. At the table Mr. Parker seated himself, and when, half an hour later, the bedroom d