I nodded. To be sure, I had withdrawn from the slatted grille with less care than I had approached it. I had feared little in my retreat. I had thought it secure. I had not known about the simple device of the threads and peas.

"Why was I not told that I was to be followed?" asked the girl.

"Be silent," said Msaliti.

She stiffened, angrily.

"You eluded me brilliantly in the tavern of Pembe, the Golden Kailiauk," I told Msaliti. "The exchanging of the girls was ingenious."

He shrugged, and smiled. "It required, of course," he said, "the aid of Shaba, and the ring."

"Of course," I said.

"I did my part well, too," said the girl.

"Yes, you did," I said.

She looked triumphantly at the men.

"You took the girl into the tavern," I said, "and covered her with your aba, that she might not move. Shaba, under the cover of the ring, drugged the paga which I drank. When my attention was distracted he, under the cover of the ring, carried away the blond girl, and this female, by prearranged plan, took her place."

"Yes "said Shaba.

"My pursuit of you was foiled," I said, "by the results of the drug you placed in my paga."

"The drug," said Shaba, "was a simple combination of sajel, a simple pustulant, and gieron, an unusual allergen.

Mixed they produce a facsimile of the superficial symptoms of Bazi plague."

"I could have been killed," I said. "by the mob."

"I did not think many would care to approach you," said Shaba.

"It was not your intention then that I be killed?" I asked.

"Certainly not,". said Shaba. "If that was all that was desired, kanda might have been introduced into your drink as easily as sajel and gieron."

"That is true," I said.

"We only wished to make certain that you did not contact us before our own determinations were made. You see, we did not know who you were. We wished to find out first what we could from the girl. Perhaps it would not be necessary to contact you at all."

"The stupid slave," said the dark-haired girl, "knew nothing."

"Had I not found your headquarters tonight, then," I said, "you would have contacted me?"

"Of course," said Shaba, "tomorrow. But we speculated that you would find us tonight. We speculated that you would discover or reason out the girl's role in our business and try to use her as a lead to find us. This possibility was confirmed when you made inquiries of Kipofu, the beggar, in the Utukufu square."

"You were there," I said.

"Of course," he said, "under the cover of the ring, but I could not approach as closely as I desired. Kipofu has unusually keen hearing. When my presence was detected I simply withdrew."

"Why did you not just contact me directly?" I asked.

"For two reasons." said Shaba. "We wished, a second time, to interrogate the blond-haired slave, before making contact, and, also, we were curious to see if you could find us by yourself. You did so. You have our congratulations. You are obviously worthy of conducting business on behalf of the Kurii."

"How long have you known I was in Schendi?" I asked.

"Since the arrival of the Palms of Schendi," he said. "We could not be certain, at first, that your arrival was not a coincidence. Soon, however, it became clear that you were an object for our concern. You appeared at the market of Uchafu. You trailed Msaliti from the market You waited in the Golden Kailiauk."

"I have been under surveillance since arriving in Schendi," I said.

"Yes," said Shaba, "from time to time."

"You know, then, doubtless, my new residence," I said, "that which I acquired following my departure from the Cove of Schendi."

I had taken a large. room on the ground floor, behind a cloth-worker's shop, just off the Street of Tapestries. Wearing the aba taken from Msaliti, hooding myself with it, that my face and eyes.not be seen, Sasi on my shoulder, rolled in a blanket tied tightly closed with ropes, I had acquired the lodging. The free woman who rented me the room asked no questions. When I had given her a copper tarsk as a tip she had looked down at the tightly tied blanket, containing its helpless burden, and had looked up at me, grinning. "Enjoy yourself," she had said, slipping the tarsk into a pouch tied at her hip.

"If we knew it," said Shaba, "men, even now, would be ransacking it for the ring and notes."

"Of course," I said.

"You moved quickly," said Shaba. "By the time I had brought the blond slave here and returned to the cove of Schendi, you had already made your departure."

"I see," I said. I was pleased that I had made the haste I had.

"But now," said Shaba, "we are all friends."

"Of course," I said.

"When will you deliver the notes?" he asked.

"And the false ring," pressed Msaliti.

"Tomorrow evening," I said.

"You choose to move under the cover of darkness?" asked Shaba.

"I think it might be wise," I said.

"Very well," said Shaba. "Tomorrow evening, at the nineteenth Ahn, meet us in this place. Bring the notes and the false ring. I will have the true ring ready then for exchange.

"I shall be here," I promised.

"Our business then," said the dark-haired girl, flushing with pleasure, "will at last be well consummated."

"Let us have a drink," said Shaba, "to celebrate this long-awaited rendezvous." Then he smiled at me. "You do not fear to drink with us, I trust," he said.

I smiled. "Of course not," I said. "Do you have the paga of Ar, of the brewery of Temus?"

"Woe," smiled Shaba. "We have here only Schendi paga, but I think it is quite good. It is, of course, a matter of taste."

"Very well," I said.

"You will find it is better without sajel and gieron in it," he said.

"That is reassuring," I said.

"The symptoms induced by the paga tendered to you at the Golden Kailiauk," he said, "should have disappeared by the following morning."

"They had," I said.

"My dear," asked Shaba, of the dark-haired girl, "would you bring us paga?"

She stiffened.

"Fetch paga, Woman," said Msaliti. "You are least among us."

"Why am I least among your' she asked.

"Forgive us, my dear," said Shaba.

"I will bring the paga," she said.

In a few moments she returned with a bottle of Schendi paga and four cups. She filled these cups.

"Forgive me," I said to Shaba, taking the cup which she had placed before him.

He smiled and extended his hands. "Of course," he said.

Then the four of us lifted our cups, touching them, one to another.

"To victory," said Shaba.

"To victory." we said, and drank. I had little compunction about drinking this toast. Each of us may not have had in mind the same victory, of course.

"I have not been introduced to this lovely agent," I said, regarding the dark-haired girl.

"Forgive me," said Shaba. "It was careless of me. I did not wish to be rude." He looked at me. "You are going by the name of Tarl of Teletus, I believe," he said, "if my inquiries in Schendi have served me properly."

"That is correct," I said. "That name will do. It will serve to cover my true identity."

"Many agents use code names," said Shaba.

"Yes," I said.

"Tarl of Teletus," said he, "may I introduce Lady E. Ellis? Lady E. Ellis, Tarl of Teletus."

We inclined our heads to one another.

"Is 'E' an initial or a name?" I asked her.

"Any initial;" she said, "It stands for Evelyn. But I do not like that name. It is too feminine. Call me 'E. "

"I will call you Evelyn," I said.

"You may do as you wish, of course," she said.

"I see that you know how to treat a woman," said Shaba. "You impose your will upon her."

"Is Evelyn Ellis your real name?" I asked, smiling.

"Yes," she said, "it is. Why do you smile?"

"It is nothing," I said.

Msaliti and Shaba, too, smiled. It amused me to see that the girl thought she had a name.