She  entered  the  room  and  found  it  empty.  It  was
almost  entirely  bare  of  furniture,  for  little  save  an
island  of  chairs  in  the  middle  and  faded  red  cloth
curtains  relieved  the  uniform  dirtiness  of  the  wall
paper  which  once  was  flowered.  One  wall  was
entirely  covered  by  a  large  poster  where  half  a  dozen
impossibly  charming  girls  of  the  biscuit  box  type  were
executing  a  cancan  so  synunetrically  as  to  recall  an
Egyptian  frieze.     The  mantlepiece  was  baie  save  foi


A  BED  OF  ROSES  85

tlie  signed  photogi-apli  of  some  magnificent  foreign-
looking  athlete,  nude  to  the  waist.  Victoria  waited
for  a  moment,  watching  a  door  which  led  into  an  inner
room,  then  went  towards  it.  At  once  the  sound  of
a  chair  being  pushed  back  and  the  fall  of  some  small
article  on  the  floor  told  her  that  the  occupant  had
heard  her  footsteps.     The  door  opened  suddenly.
Victoria  looked  at  the  apparition  with  some  surprise.
