There came a day, however, when she found herself suddenly plunged into the midst of more exciting events.  She was sitting one afternoon in a cafe in Regent Street, at a table near the door, whence she could watch every one who came and went.  Exactly behind her were two men, both strangers to her, who had been talking in low tones ever since her entrance.  Her attention had been in no way attracted to them, and it was only by chance that she suddenly caught the name of Norris Vine.

Her heart gave a little beat.  It was only by a strong exercise of will that she forbore to turn round.  She pushed her chair a little further backwards, saying something to the waiter about a draught, and taking up a French newspaper which some one had left behind, she listened intently.  All that she could remember of the men was that one was small, clean-shaven, very neatly dressed, and having rather the appearance of an American; and that the other was a larger and more florid man, with red face and burly shoulders.  It was apparently the former who was speaking.

“It is a matter of five thousand pounds,” she heard him say, “that is to say, two thousand five hundred pounds each, and it can be done without risk.  The man is little known here, and has few friends.  He has rooms in a flat to which there is plenty of access, two lifts on each floor and separate exits, and he lives quite alone.”

“Two thousand five hundred pounds!” the other man uttered.  “It sounds well, but—­”

Then his voice dropped, and she could hear nothing else for a minute or two.  She called a waiter and ordered something, she scarcely knew what.  The voices behind had sunk lower and lower.  She could hear nothing at all now, but she gathered that the smaller man was pressing some enterprise upon the other, and that his companion, although inclined to accept, found difficulties.  She waited for a little time, and presently she began again to catch odd scraps of the conversation.

“Of course,” she heard the smaller man say, “if we had him in New York the thing would be absolutely easy.  It is probably because he knows that, that he came over here.”

“He knows he is in danger, then?” the other voice asked.

“He knows that he carries his life in his hand,” was the answer.  “He must know that he has done so since a few days before he sailed for Europe.  He is being watched the whole of the time, and from what I have seen, I should say his nerves were beginning to give way a little under the strain.”

The other man muttered something which she could not hear.

“It is not your concern or mine,” his companion answered.  “He has chosen to court the enmity of some of the most powerful men in America, and it is his own fault if he suffers for it.  He has been playing a pretty big game, but he doesn’t hold quite all the cards.”

There were more questions and answers, all unintelligible.  She pushed her chair a little farther back, still apparently without awakening their suspicions, and then at last she heard something more definite.