The Chink in the Armour

A small, shiny, pink card lay on the round table in Sylvia Bailey's sitting-room at the Hôtelde l'Horloge in Paris. She had become quite accustomed to finding one or more cards-cards from dressmakers, cards from corset-makers, cards from hairdressers-lying on her sitting-room table, butthere had never been a card quite like this card. Although it was pink, it looked more like a visiting-card than a tradesman's advertisement, and she took it up with some curiosity. It was inscribed "Madame Cagliostra," andunderneath the name were written the words "Diseuse de la Bonne Aventure," and then, in acorner, in very small black letters, the address, "5, Rue Jolie, Montmartre."A fortune-teller's card? What an extraordinary thing!Like many pretty, prosperous, idle women, Sylvia was rather superstitious. Not long beforethis, her first visit to Paris, a London acquaintance had taken her to see a noted palmistnamed "Pharaoh," in Bond Street. She had paid her guinea willingly enough, but the resulthad vaguely disappointed her, and she had had the feeling, all the time she was with him, that the man was not really reading her hand. True, "Pharaoh" had told her she was going abroad, and at that time she had no intention ofdoing so. The palmist had also told her-and this was really rather curious-that shewould meet, when abroad, a foreign woman who would have a considerable influence onher life. Well, in this very Hôtel de l'Horloge Mrs. Bailey had come across a Polish lady, named Anna Wolsky, who was, like Sylvia herself, a young widow, and the two had taken agreat fancy to one another. It was most unlikely that Madame Wolsky would have the slightest influence on her, SylviaBailey's, life, but at any rate it was very curious coincidence. "Pharaoh" had proved to beright as to these two things-she had come abroad, and she had formed a friendship with aforeign woman. Mrs. Bailey was still standing by the table, and still holding the pink card in her hand, whenher new friend came into the room."Well?" said Anna Wolsky, speaking English with a strong foreign accent, but still speakingit remarkably well, "Have you yet decided, my dear, what we shall do this afternoon? Thereare a dozen things open to us, and I am absolutely at your service to do any one of them!"Sylvia Bailey laughingly shook her head.