"And whose tongue is wagging now—thou magpie?" put in Zaidee spitefully.
"Be quiet——" said Selim.
Renwick glared at the woman as though he would have liked to choke her, and she subsided.
"An automobile stopped at my door. There were three people, an Austrian officer, a lady who was sick, and a man who drove the car. They asked admittance on account of the Excellency who was sick. I could not refuse, for they said that they would pay me well."
Selim paused, hunting in his pockets for a match to light his pipe, and Renwick, containing his patience with difficulty, stood, his hands clenched behind him, waiting. They had stopped here—at this very house.
"And then——?" he asked calmly.
"We put the Excellency to bed——"
"I did," said Zaidee.
"Bah! What matter? They were bound upon a journey over the mountains to Vlasenica, where the Excellency was taking his wife for the waters."
"His wife," mumbled Renwick.