Scarcely were she and Smith seated before the others appeared. The men
sat down in chairs drawn up at a little table; and not only must those in
the corner pass by them in escaping, but every word spoken above a
whisper must be overheard.
This fact did not embarrass Smith. He ordered coffee and cigarettes, and
talked to Annesley in an ordinary tone about a motor trip which it would
be pleasant to take. The watchers also demanded coffee. But the waiter
they summoned was slow in fulfilling their order. When it was obeyed,
before the pair had time to lift cup to lip, Mr. Smith took impish
pleasure in getting to his feet.
"Come, dear," he said, "we'd better be off."
He laid on the table money for the coffee and cigarettes, with a
satisfactory tip. Then without looking at their neighbours he and
Annesley passed, walking shoulder to shoulder with a leisurely step
toward the entrance.
"I suppose there's no chance of shaking them off?" the girl whispered.
"None whatever," said Smith. "But we've had the fun of cheating them out
of their coffee, because they won't chance our stopping to pick up our
wraps.
Pages:
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64