ansom driving about, pausing here and there to ask of policemen, pedestrians, and others for “The Laurels.”

[Pg 49]

“There’s a’ many Laurels,” said the milkman, who was also the first director, and so after awhile Mr Bevan found to his 杭州按摩西湖区 cost.

But at last they found, with the aid of a local directory, the right one, a spacious house built of red brick seen through an avenue of lime trees all abuzz with bees.

There was no sign of life in the little gate lodge, and the entrance gate was pushed back; the orderly eye of Charles 杭州洗浴中心全套经历 Bevan noticed that it was half off its hinges; also, that the weeds in the avenue were rampant.

A laburnum had pushed its way through the limes, and a peony, as large almost as a cabbage, had laid its head on the avenue-way, presenting a walk-over-me-I-don’t-care appearance, quite in accordance with the 杭州油压会所推荐 general aspect of things.

The hansom drew up at the door and the traveller from Southampton Row flung away his cigar end, alighted, and ran up the three steps leading to the porch. He rang the bell, and then stood wondering at the luxuriance 杭州按摩保健 of the wisteria that overspread the porch, and contemplating the hind hocks of the cab-horse which had been fired.

What he was about to do or say when he[Pg 50] found himself in the presence of his enemy was not very clear to the mind of Mr Bevan. What did occur to him was that George Lambert 杭州洗浴按摩全套图 would have the advantage over him in the interview, seeing that he would be in his own house—on his own dunghill, so to speak.

He might have got into the hansom and returned to town, but that would have been an admission to himself that he had committed a fault, and to admit themselves in fault, even to themselves, was never a way with the Bevans.

So he rang and waited, and rang again.

Presently shuffling footsteps sounded from behind the door which opened some two inches, disclosing a pale, blue eye, part of a nose, and an uncertain 杭州调情spa coloured fringe.

“What do you

want?” cried a voice through the crack.

“Does Mr George Lambert live here?”

“He does, but he’s from home.”

“Dear me,” murmured Charles, whose curiosity was now greatly aroused by the neglected aspect of the place and the mysterious personage hidden by the door. He felt 杭州油压毛推 a great desire to penetrate further into the affairs of his enemy and see what was to be seen.

[Pg 51]

“Is Miss Lambert in?”

“Yus.”

“Then give her my card, please. I would like to speak to her.”

The person behind the door undid the chain, 杭州桑拿网vip账号密码 satisfied evidently by Bevan’s voice and appearance that he was not a dun or a robber. The door opened disclosing a servant maid, very young and very dirty.

This ash-cat took the piece of pasteboard, and made a pretence of reading it, invited Charles to enter, and then closing the door, and barring 杭州按摩会所推荐 it this time as if to keep him in, should he try to escape, led the way across a rather empty hall to a library.

Here she invited him to sit down upon a chair, having first dusted it with her apron, and declaring that she would send Miss Fanny to him in “a minit,” vanished, and left him to his 杭州桑拿哪里营业 meditation