It was empty, but on her left standing ajar was a door painted bright
blue.




CHAPTER VII

Without pausing to think she entered, closing it behind her just as the
man relentlessly pursuing her passed in ignorance on the other side.

In the middle of the courtyard two Eastern women in the domestic act of
disembowelling a kid looked up lazily, and one smiling, pointed to the
upper storey of the house, through the small windows of which came the
sound of stringed instruments, and seeing that the stranger did not
understand, explained her gesture in broken French:

"_Au premiez étase--voz amieze--les anglaiseez."

No idea of any further possible danger entering her head, and at a
complete loss to understand, but thankful for her present safety, Jill
crossed the court, slipping unromantically on a piece of the animal's
entrails which lay about, and entering a low door mounted the stairs.

Through a curtained archway the distinct twang of an American voice
came to her as a message of peace, so pushing back the stuff she
entered to find herself confronted by ten pairs of eyes of different
nationality.

"Come right in," twanged the same voice, "guess you're from the same