The Affair at the Semiramis Hotel

by A. E. W. Mason

Transcriber's Notes:
1. Page scan source:
http://www.archive.org/details/affairatsemirami00maso

THE AFFAIR AT
THE SEMIRAMIS HOTEL

BY

A. E. W. MASON

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS
NEW YORK :: :: :: 1917

Copyright, 1917, by
A. E. W. MASON

THE AFFAIR
AT THE SEMIRAMIS HOTEL

THE AFFAIR
AT THE SEMIRAMIS HOTEL

I

Mr. Ricardo, when the excitements of the Villa Rose were done with, returned to Grosvenor Square and resumed the busy, unnecessary life of an amateur. But the studios had lost their savour, artists their attractiveness, and even the Russian opera seemed a trifle flat. Life was altogether a disappointment; Fate, like an actress at a restaurant, had taken the wooden pestle in her hand and stirred all the sparkle out of the champagne; Mr. Ricardo languished--until one unforgettable morning.