“Isn’t it just like a scene in a theatre?” said Mr. Tope. “That’s how it strikes me even after twenty years. A beautifully dressed crowd, beautifully behaved; yet below it all vice unfathomable. It sometimes reminds me of the rainbow iridescence one sees on a pool of scum.... By the way, I haven’t seen you tempting the fickle goddess?”
“No, I haven’t been inside the Casino.”
“Ha! that’s quite a distinction. I noticed you talking to old Bob Bender the other day.”
“Yes, he’s having rather a hard time. He’s waiting a backer from America.”
“Oh, you needn’t waste any sympathy on old Bob. He’ll never starve.”
“Why?”
“Well,” said Mr. Tope, lowering his voice to a whisper, “they say he’s in the service of the Secret Police.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, young man! you only see the showy side of Monte; but believe me, there’s a very seamy under one. This is the most cosmopolitan spot in the world, and criminals of all countries collect here. You might call it a sort of criminal clearing-house. Well, to counteract this, the Casino people have the most efficient police force in Europe. They have agents in all the big capitals; an international crook can’t put his foot in Monaco without being recognized and watched.”
“You surprise me.”