you not to have forgotten me ! Has it been long since you saw that eccentric Lirat?"

" Why, yes, Madame, I have not seen him since the day I had the honor of meeting you at his place."

" Ah, my God, I though you two never separated at all."

" It is true," I replied, " that I see him quite often. But I have been working all these days."

As I thought I detected a note of irony in the sound of her voice, I added, to provoke her:

"What a great artist, isn't he?"

Juliette let this remark pass unanswered.

"So you are always working?" She took up the subject again. " For the rest, I am told you live like a regular recluse. Really, one sees very little of you, Monsieur Mintie ! "

The conversation took a quite ordinary turn, the theatre furnishing food for nearly all of it. A remark which I made seemed to astound her, and she was rather scandalized.

"What, you don't like the theatre? Is it possible and you an artist? I am passionately fond of it. The theatre is so amusing! We are going to the Variete tonight, for the fourth time, mind you."

A feeble yelp came from behind the door.

" Ah, my God ! " Juliette exclaimed, hurriedly rising. " My Spy whom I left in my room ! Shall I present Spy to you, Monsieur Mintie? Don't you know Spy? "

She opened the door, drew aside the hangings, which were very wide.

" Come, Spy ! " she said coaxingly. " Where have you been, Spy? Come over here, poor thing!"

And I saw a diminutive little animal, with a pointed snout, long ears, advancing, dancing on its thin paws that resembled a spider's legs and whose whole body,