"I am sure she is. Might I inquire her name?"
"Emily, sir."
"Is she at home?"
"No, sir; she is abroad with her mistress."
Basil's heart beat high with hope already there was something gained.
"Am I mistaken in my belief," he asked, "that her mistress is Miss Annette Bidaud?"
"That is the young lady's name, sir. I hope you will excuse my asking why you keep on looking round the room, and why you looked up at the windows of the house in the same way before you knocked at the street-door? I saw you, sir."
"I was looking for an old friend I had an idea was here."
"An old friend, sir?"
"Yes, a magpie that Miss Bidaud brought with her from Australia."