to offer me?"

I knew the woman I was dealing with. Her beautiful, straightforward
nature was incapable of dissimulation.

"Mr. Forrester, even if what you hope is impossible, it would be unfair
on my part to deceive you," she said. "I love you, as you are worthy to
be loved, but having said that I can say no more. You must go away and
endeavour to forget that you ever saw so unhappy a person as myself."

"Never," I answered, and then dropping on one knee and pressing her hand
to my lips, I continued: "You have confessed, Valerie, that you love me,
and nothing can ever separate us now. Come what may, I will not leave
you. Here, in this old church, by the cross on yonder altar, I swear it.
As we are together in trouble, so will we be together in love, and may
God's blessing rest upon us both."

"Amen," she answered solemnly.

She seated herself in a pew, and I took my place beside her.

"Valerie," I said, "I followed you this morning for two reasons. The
first was to tell you of my love, and the second was to let you know
that I have made up my mind on a certain course of action. At any risk
we must escape from Pharos, and since you have confessed that you love
me we will go together."

"It is useless," she answered sorrowfully, "quite useless."

"Hush!" I said, as three people entered the church. "We can not talk
here. Let us find another place."

With this we rose and left the building. Proceeding into the street, I
hailed a cab, and as soon as we had taken our places in it, bade the man
drive us to the Baumgarten. Some of my pleasantest recollections of
Prague in days gone by were clustered round this park, but they were as
nothing compared with the happiness I now enjoyed in visiting it in the
company of the woman I loved. When we had found a seat in a secluded
spot we resumed the conversation that had been interrupted in the
church.

"You say that it is useless our thinking of making our escape from this
man?" I said. "I tell you that it is not useless, and that at any hazard
we must do so. We know now that we love each other. I know, at least,
how much you are to me. Is it possible, therefore, that you can believe
I should allow you to remain in his power an instant longer than I can
help? In my life I have not feared many men, but I confess that I fear
Pharos as I do the devil. Since I have known him I have had several
opportunities of testing his power. I have seen things, or he has _made_
me believe