Lucinda by Antonio Hope — Read

THEN came the astonishing turn of fortune's wheel-that is almost fact, scarcely metaphor-which seemed to transform the whole situation. It came to my knowledge on the very day on which those protracted labors of ours reached a conclusion at last.

We had had a long and tedious final session-for this time there was not only business to wind up, but compliments to be exchanged too-and I came out of it at half-past six in the evening so exhausted that I turned into the nearest _café_ at which I was known, and procured a whisky-and-soda. With it the waiter brought me a copy of _Le Soir_, and, as I sipped my "refresher" and smoked a cigar, I glanced through it, hoping (to be candid) to find some complimentary notice of the achievements of my Conference. I did not find that-perhaps it was too soon to expect it-but I did find something which interested me a great deal more. Among the miscellaneous items of "intelligence" I read the following: