The Devil Rides Out by Dennis Wheatley

tall ebony cane stepped out. At the first glance Rex recognised the parrot-peaked nose, the nut-cracker chin and the piercing black eyes of the old Countess D’Urfé. Before he had time to collect his wits she had advanced upon him and extended a plump, beringed hand.
    â€˜Monsieur Van Ryn,’ she croaked. ‘It is charming that you should call upon me–sank you a thousand times for those lovely flowers.’

9
The Countess D’urfé Talks of Many Curious Things
    â€˜Ha ha! Not a bit of it, it’s great to see you again.’
    Rex gave a weak imitation of a laugh. He had only spoken to the old crone for two minutes on the previous evening and that, when he had first arrived at Simon’s party, for the purpose of detaching Tanith from her. Even if she had seen him drive up to Claridges what in the world could have made her imagine that he had come to visit
her?
If only he hadn’t sent up that lilac he might have politely excused himself, but he could hardly tell her now that he had meant it for someone else.
    â€˜And how is
Monseigneur le Duc
this morning?’ the old lady inquired, sinking into a chair he placed for her.
    â€˜He asked me to present his homage, Madame,’ Rex lied quickly, instinctively picking a phrase which De Richleau might have used himself.
    â€˜
Ca, c’est très gentille.
‘E is a charming man-charming an’ ‘is cigars they are superb.’ The Countess D’Urfé produced a square case from her bag and drew out a fat, dark Havana. As Rex applied a match she went on slowly: ‘But it ees not right that one Circle should make interference with the operations of another. What ‘ave you to say of your be’aviour lars’ night my young frien’?’
    â€˜My hat,’ thought Rex, ‘the old beldame fancies we’re an opposing faction in the same line of business–I’ll have to use this if I can,’ so he answered slowly: ‘We were mighty sorry to have to do what we did, but we needed Simon Aron for our own purposes.’
    â€˜So! You also make search for the Talisman then?’
    â€˜Sure–that is, the Duke’s taking a big interest in it.’
    â€˜Which of us are not–and ‘oo but
le petit Juif
shall lead us to it.’
    â€˜That’s true.’
    â€˜â€™Ave you yet attempted the Rite to Saturn?’
    â€˜Yes, but things didn’t pan out quite as we thought they would,’ Rex replied cautiously, not having the faintest idea what they were talking about.
    â€˜You ’ave satisfy yourselves that the aloes and mastic were fresh, eh?’ The wicked old eyes bored into his.
    â€˜Yes, I’m certain of that,’ he assured her.
    â€˜You choose a time when the planet was in the ’ouse of Capricorn, of course?’
    â€˜Oh, surely!’
    â€˜An’ you ‘ave not neglect to make Libation to Our Lady Babalon before’and?’
    â€˜Oh, no, we wouldn’t do that!’
    â€˜Then per’aps your periods of silence were not long enough?’
    â€˜Maybe that’s so,’ he admitted hurriedly, hoping to close this madhatter’s conversation before he completely put his foot into it.
    Countess D’Urfé nodded, then after drawing thoughtfully at her cigar she looked at him intently. ‘Silence,’ she murmured. ‘Silence, that ees always essential in the Ritual of Saturn–but you ’ave much courage to thwart Mocata–’e is powerful, that one.’
    â€˜Oh, we’re not afraid of him,’ Rex declared and, recalling the highest grade of operator from his conversation with De Richleau, he added: ‘You see the Duke knows all about this thing, he’s an Ipsissimus.’
    The old lady’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets at this announcement, and Rex feared that he had gone too far, but she leaned forward and placed one of her jewelled claws upon his arm. An