THE CLIQUE OF GOLD

BY

EMILE GABORIAU




THE CLIQUE OF GOLD




I.

There is not in all Paris a house better kept or more inviting-looking
than No. 23 in Grange Street. As soon as you enter, you are struck by a
minute, extreme neatness, which reminds you of Holland, and almost sets
you a-laughing. The neighbors might use the brass plate on the door as a
mirror to shave in; the stone floor is polished till it shines; and the
woodwork of the staircase is varnished to perfection.

In the entrance-hall a number of notices, written in the peculiar
style which owners of houses affect, request the tenants to respect the
property of others, without regard to the high price they pay for their
share. "Clean your feet, if you please," they say to all who come in or
go out. "No spitting allowed on the stairs." "Dogs are not allowed in
the house."