"...most awfully grateful," repeated Eulalie, swinging the case by its cord. "You--you might have made it much harder...." The next moment she was in the cabriolet... Dazedly I watched the latter float out of sight. "B-but she hasn't paid," I stammered. "She's never given us the money. Four pounds that bottle cost...." We stared at one another in dismay. At length-- "Stung," said Berry. "But what a beautiful bit of work! Four pounds' worth of scent for the asking. No unpleasantness, no sleight of hand, no nothing. Just a glad eye last night and a two-minute run this morning. I don't wonder she was grateful." * * * * * We had spent the afternoon traversing San Sebastian, and had found the place good--so good, in fact, that it was past six before we returned to the hotel. I followed Adèle upstairs rather wearily. "I shall never get over this morning," I said. "Never." Arrived at our door, I fitted the key to the lock. "To think that I stood there and let you hand---- Oh, blast! We've left the scent in the car." "So we have," said Adèle. "What an awful nuisance! I knew we should. It's fatal to put anything in that hood. You don't see it." I pushed open the door. "As soon as I've changed," I said, switching on the light. "I'll go and----" The sentence was never finished. Had I been told that a cyclone had struck our bedroom, I should not have been surprised. Adèle and I stood staring at such a state of disorder as I had never dreamed of. The bed had been dragged from the wall, and its clothes distributed about the room; the wardrobe and cupboards stood open: every drawer in the room was on the floor: our clothing had been flung, like soiled linen, into corners: my wife's dressing-case had been forced, and now lay open, face downward, upon the carpet, while its contents sprawled upon a mattress: a chair had fallen backwards into the empty cabin-trunk, and the edge of a sheet had caught on one of its upturned legs.... "Adèle! Boy!" The swish of a skirt, and there was my sister behind us. "Our room's been---- Good Heavens, yours is the same! Whatever's the meaning of it?" Within three minutes two managers and three clerks were on the scene. To do them justice, they were genuinely perturbed. Fresh rooms--a magnificent suite--were put at our disposal: under our own eyes our belongings were gathered into sheets and carried to our new quarters: maids were summoned and placed at the girls' service: valets were sent for: the dressing-case was sent to be repaired: we were begged at our convenience to report whether there were any valuables we could not find, and over and over again we were assured that the management would not rest until the thieves were taken: jointly and severally we were offered profound apologies for so abominable an outrage. Berry and Jonah, who had been taking the cars to the garage, arrived in the midst of the removal.