The Sorceress of the Strand | Page 2

be
split up. He has left the whole of it to that one of the three who should
survive the others. A perfectly insane arrangement, but not, I believe,
unprecedented in Brazil."
"Very insane," I echoed. "What was he worth?"
"Over two million sterling."
"By Jove!" I cried, "what a sum! But what about the half-brother?"
"He must be over forty years of age, and is evidently a bad lot. I have
never seen him. His sisters won't speak to him or have anything to do
with him. I understand that he is a great gambler; I am further told that
he is at present in England, and, as there are certain technicalities to be
gone through before the girls can fully enjoy their incomes, one of the
first things I must do when I get home is to find him out. He has to sign
certain papers, for we sha'n't be able to put things straight until we get
his whereabouts. Some time ago my wife and Edith heard that he was
ill, but dead or alive we must know all about him, and as quickly as
possible."

I made no answer, and he continued:--
"I'll introduce you to my wife and sister-in-law tomorrow. Beatrice is
quite a child compared to Edith, who acts towards her almost like a
mother. Bee is a little beauty, so fresh and round and young-looking.
But Edith is handsome, too, although I sometimes think she is as vain
as a peacock. By the way, Druce, this brings me to another part of my
story. The sisters have an acquaintance on board, one of the most
remarkable women I have ever met. She goes by the name of Madame
Sara, and knows London well. In fact, she confesses to having a shop in
the Strand. What she has been doing in Brazil I do not know, for she
keeps all her affairs strictly private. But you will be amazed when I tell
you what her calling is."
"What?" I asked.
"A professional beautifier. She claims the privilege of restoring youth
to those who consult her. She also declares that she can make quite
ugly people handsome. There is no doubt that she is very clever. She
knows a little bit of everything, and has wonderful recipes with regard
to medicines, surgery, and dentistry. She is a most lovely woman
herself, very fair, with blue eyes, an innocent, childlike manner, and
quantities of rippling gold hair. She openly confesses that she is very
much older than she appears. She looks about five-and-twenty. She
seems to have travelled all over the world, and says that by birth she is
a mixture of Indian and Italian, her father having been Italian and her
mother Indian. Accompanying her is an Arab, a handsome, picturesque
sort of fellow, who gives her the most absolute devotion, and she is
also bringing back to England two Brazilians from Para. This woman
deals in all sorts of curious secrets, but principally in cosmetics. Her
shop in the Strand could, I fancy, tell many a strange history. Her
clients go to her there, and she does what is necessary for them. It is a
fact that she occasionally performs small surgical operations, and there
is not a dentist in London who can vie with her. She confesses quite
naively that she holds some secrets for making false teeth cling to the
palate that no one knows of. Edith Dallas is devoted to her--in fact, her
adoration amounts to idolatry."

"You give a very brilliant account of this woman," I said. "You must
introduce me tomorrow."
"I will," answered Jack with a smile. "I should like your opinion of her.
I am right glad I have met you, Druce, it is like old times. When we get
to London I mean to put up at my town house in Eaton Square for the
remainder of the season. The Meadows shall be re-furnished, and Bee
and I will take up our quarters some time in August; then you must
come and see us. But I am afraid before I give myself up to mere
pleasure I must find that precious brother-in-law, Henry Joachim
Silva."
"If you have any difficulty apply to me," I said. "I can put at your
disposal, in an unofficial way, of course, agents who would find almost
any man in England, dead or alive."
I then proceeded to give Selby a short account of my own business.
"Thanks," he said presently, "that is capital. You are the very man we
want."
The next morning after breakfast Jack introduced me to his wife and
sister-in-law. They were both foreign-looking, but very handsome, and
the wife in particular had a graceful and uncommon appearance.
We had been chatting about five minutes when I saw coming