of Eastern
_patois_."

Neither Vanno (who caught the sound of his name in passing) nor Schuyler
guessed the half-reluctant interest with which Mary heard the name of
her sulky neighbour at the Hotel de Paris, and learned those few details
of his life.

Vanno had been more than once to Roquebrune since the first day, and
knew that the cure had called twice upon Miss Grant, without finding her
at home. He knew, too, that the priest had received no visit from her in
return; nor had he again seen or heard of the "strange lady" who had
come to question him about Prince Angelo.

Vanno was deeply disappointed at the failure of his plan, and feared
that Mary wished to avoid knowing the priest; otherwise she might at
least have gone to church at Roquebrune. She made other excursions, when
she could tear herself from the Casino, on irresistibly bright
afternoons. Not only had he seen her at Cap Martin, but in Nice and in
Mentone; once, motoring into Italy with people whose faces were strange
to Vanno, and unpromising; and with the same party again in the
beautiful garden at Beaulieu, where it is fashionable to drink tea and
watch the sunset. But she did not make time to go to Roquebrune, and
show a little graceful gratitude for the cure's kindly interest.

The desire grew stronger in Vanno to speak to her, to know something of
her besides the perhaps deceiving beauty of her face, but he clung in
firmness or obstinacy to the resolve of which he had told his friend. He
knew that he could not help her as the cure might, and secretly he
feared himself. Once the ice was broken in making her acquaintance, he
was not sure that he could still be strong.

But one afternoon he had been taking a long walk alone, as was his
custom every day. Coming down from a Ligurian fort, by an old mule track
that ended on the upper Corniche road, he saw an automobile which had
stopped at the foot of the path. A girl in a rose-red motor-bonnet and a
moleskin coat was standing up in the car, her eyes raised, her chin
lifted like a flower tilted in its stem, intent on something which Vanno
could not see. The girl was Miss Grant, and Vanno's heart gave a bound,
then seemed to contract at sight of her, so near him and alone.

The automobile was drawn up so close to the descending mule path that
Vanno saw it would be impossible to pass unless the chauffeur started
the engine and moved the car on a little; but rather than this should be
necessary, he ha