"I can"t conceive your looking nicer than you do in black," he replied.
She made a wry face.
"I suppose it must be black," she murmured doubtfully. "It is much more economical than anything--"
She broke off to bow to a stout, red-faced man who, after a rude stare, had greeted her with a patronizing nod. Laverick frowned.
"Who is that fellow?" he asked.
"Mr. Heepman, our stage-manager," Zoe answered, a little timidly.
"Is there any particular reason why he should behave like a boor?"
Laverick continued, raising his voice a little.
She caught at his arm in terror. The man was sitting at the next table.
"Don"t, please!" she implored. "He might hear you. He is just behind there."
Laverick half turned in his chair. She guessed what he was about to say, and went on rapidly.
"He has been so foolish," she whispered. "He has asked me so often to go out with him. And he could get me sent away, if he wanted, any time. He almost threatened it, the last time I refused. Now that he has seen me with you, he will be worse than ever."
Laverick"s face darkened, and there was a peculiar flash in his eyes.
The man was certainly looking at them in a rude manner.
"There are so many of the girls who would only be too pleased to go with him," Zoe continued, in a terrified undertone. "I can"t think why he bothers me."
"I can," Laverick muttered. "Let"s forget about the brute."
But the dinner was already spoiled for Zoe, so Laverick paid the bill a few minutes later, and walked across to the stage-door of the theatre with her. Her little hand, when she gave it to him at parting, was quite cold.
"I"m as nervous as I can be," she confessed. "Mr. Heepman will be watching all the night for something to find fault with me about."
"Don"t you let him bully you," Laverick begged.
"I won"t," she promised. "Good-bye! Thanks so much for my dinner."
She turned away with a brave attempt at a smile, but it was only an attempt. Laverick walked on to his club. There was no one in the dining-room whom he knew, and the card-room was empty. He played one game of billiards, but he played badly. He was upset. His nerves were wrong he told himself, and little wonder. There seemed to be no chance of a rubber at bridge, so he sallied out again and walked aimlessly towards Covent Garden. Outside the Opera House he hesitated and finally entered, yielding to an impulse the nature of which he scarcely recognized. While he was inquiring about a stall, a small printed notice was thrust into his hand. He read it with a slight start.
We regret to announce that owing to indisposition Mademoiselle Idiale will not be able to appear this evening. The part of Delilah will be taken by Mademoiselle Blanche Temoigne, late of the Royal Opera House, St. Petersburg.
Ten minutes later, Laverick rang the bell of her flat in Dover Street.
A strange man-servant answered him.
"I came to inquire after Mademoiselle Idiale," Laverick said.
The man held out a tray on which was already a small heap of cards.
Laverick, however, retained his.
"I should be glad if you would take mine in to her," he said. "I think it is just likely that she may see me for a moment."
The servant"s att.i.tude was one of civil but unconcealed hostility.
He would have closed the door had not Laverick already pa.s.sed over the threshold.
"Madame is not well enough to receive visitors, sir," the man declared. "She shall have your card as soon as possible."
"I should like her to have it now," Laverick persisted, drawing a five-pound note from his pocket.
The man looked at the note longingly.
"It would be only waste of time, sir," he declared. "Mademoiselle is confined to her bedroom and my orders are absolute."
"You are not the man who was here earlier in the day," Laverick remarked. "I wonder," he continued, with a sudden inspiration, "whether you are not Mr. Bellamy"s servant?"
"That is so, sir. Mr. Bellamy has sent me here to see that no one has access to Mademoiselle Idiale."
"Then there is no harm whatever in taking in my card," Laverick declared convincingly. "You can put that note in your pocket. I am perfectly certain that Mademoiselle Idiale will see me, and that your master would wish her to do so."
"I will take the risk, sir," the man decided, "but the orders I have received were stringent."
He disappeared and was gone for several moments. When he came back he was accompanied by a pale-faced woman dressed in black, obviously a maid.
"Monsieur Laverick," she said, "Mademoiselle Idiale will receive you. If you will come this way?"
She opened the door of the little reception-room, and Laverick followed her. The man returned to his place in the hall.
"Madame will be here in a moment," the maid said. "She will be glad to see you, but she has been very badly frightened."
Laverick bowed sympathetically. The woman herself was gray-faced, terror-stricken.
"It is Monsieur La.s.sen, the manager of Madame, who has caused a great deal of trouble here," she said. "Madame never trusted him and now we have discovered that he is a spy."
The woman seemed to fade away. The door of the inner room was opened and Louise came out. She was still exceedingly pale, and there were dark rims under her eyes. She came across the room with outstretched hands. There was no doubt whatever as to her pleasure.
"You have seen Mr. Bellamy?" she asked.
Laverick shook his head.
"No, I have seen nothing of Bellamy to-day. I came to call upon you this afternoon."
She wrung her hands.
"You understand, of course!" she exclaimed. "I did not trust La.s.sen, but I never imagined anything like this. He is an Austrian.
Only a few hours ago I learned that he is one of their most heavily paid spies. Streuss got hold of him. But there, I forgot--you do not understand this. It is enough that he laid a plot to get that doc.u.ment from you. Where is it, Mr. Laverick? You have brought it now?"
"Why, no," Laverick answered, "I have not."
Her eyes were round with terror. She held out her hands as though to keep away some tormenting thought.