Grim sat down, thrust his legs out in front of him, leaned back and called for coffee.

It was obvious at once that the alligator person had been lying when he boasted of knowing Staff-Captain Ali Mirza, for he made no effort to claim acquaintance or to denounce him as an impostor.
But he nodded to Suliman, and Suliman came over and nudged me.
I let the boy go through a lot of pantomimic argument before admitting that I understood, but finally I crossed the room to Grim and offered him the envelope.

He looked surprised, examined the outside curiously, spoke to me, shrugged his shoulders when I did not answer, tossed a question or two to Suliman, shrugged again and tore the letter open.

Then his face changed, and he glanced to right and left of him as if afraid of being seen.

He stuffed the letter into his tunic pocket and I went back to the corner by the front door.
Yussuf was pottering about, still rearranging all the pots and furniture that I had scattered, but his big ears projected sidewise and suggested that he might have another motive.
However, it was a simple matter to evade his curiosity by talking French, and Noureddin All could contain himself no longer.
"Pardon me, sir?
Staff-Captain Ali Mirza ?" Grim nodded suspiciously.
"I have heard of you.