eady begun to regret bitterly, but it was too late
to go back--and then next day your letter came to me at Mr. Parsons' and
all my pride was up in arms!"

Here Michael held her very tight.

"Oh, what a brute I was to write that letter," he cried.

"All I wanted then was to go away and forget all about you and
everything and have lots of nice clothes and join my friend Moravia in
Paris. You see, I was still just a silly ignorant child. Mr. Parsons got
me a good maid who is with me still, and he agreed at last to my taking
the name of Howard--I thought if I kept the Arranstoun everyone would
know."

"But what did you intend to do, darling, with your life. We were both
crazy, of course, you to go--and I to let you."

"I had no concrete idea. Just to see the world and buy what I wanted,
and sit up late--and not have to obey any rules, I think--and underneath
there was a great excitement all the time in the thought of looking
perfectly splendid in being a grand grown-up lady when you came
back--for of course I believed then that we must meet again."

"Well, what changed all that and made you become engaged to Henry, you
wicked little thing!" and Michael kissed her fondly--"Was it because I
did not come back?--but you could have cabled to me at any time."

An enchanting confusion crept over Sabine--she hesitated--she began to
speak, then stopped and finally buried her face in his coat.

"What is it, darling?" he asked with almost a tone of anxiety in his
voice. "Did you have some violent flirtation with someone at this stage?
and you think I shall be annoyed--but indeed I shall not, because I do
fully realize that whatever you did was my fault for leaving you
alone--Tell me, Sabine, you sweet child."

"No--it wasn't that----"

"Well--then?"

"Well--then I was--terrified--it was my old maid, Simone, who told me
what had happened--I was still too ignorant to understand things."

"Told you what? What wretched story did the old woman invent about me?"
Michael's eyes were haughty--that she could listen to stories from a
maid!

Sabine clasped her hands together--she was deeply moved.

"Oh, Michael--you are stupid! How can I possibly tell you--if you won't
understand."

Then she jumped up suddenly and swiftly brought her blue-despatch box
from beside her writing-table and unlocked it with her bracelet
key--while Michael with an anxious, puzzled face watched her intently.
She sat down again beside him when she had