ent as that. You were summoned one day to Paris by or
on behalf of your brother, who had unaccountably disappeared there. You
immediately appear to have followed suit. You had no friends in
Paris--neither, I think, had he. I believe I am correct in saying that
you had neither of you ever been there before. If your brother has
fallen into bad hands, and if those same people are trying to work upon
your fears by leading you into this sort of thing--well, I have friends
who are powerful enough to bring you safely out of any den of thieves in
the world. You are in an impossible situation, my dear young lady.
Nature never meant you for an adventuress. There is no necessity for you
to become one. Why do you look at me like that?"

There was terror in her face. He had hoped to reassure her, to give her
courage. On the contrary every word he spoke only seemed to increase her
distress.

"Oh, I am afraid!" she murmured. "I wish I had taken my chance. I ought
not to have burdened you for a moment with my affairs. I have given you
the right to ask me questions which I cannot answer."

He was perplexed.

"If you have given promises to these people----" he began.

"Oh, there is no question of promises," she interrupted. "I am here of
my own free will. I refuse to answer any questions. I pray only if you
would be generous that you ask me none, that you keep me until
to-morrow, and let me go, not only from this place, but out of your
life. Then indeed I will be grateful to you."

He took her hand in his. She yielded it without any attempt at
resistance, but it lay in his palm a cold, dead thing.

"I am only concerned for your good," he said gently. "It is your
happiness only that I am anxious for. You were not born or trained for a
life of lies and crime. I want to save you from it before it is too
late."

"What I do," she said slowly, "I do of my own free will."

"Not quite, I think," he answered, "but let that pass. Listen! If you
will not talk to me about these things, will you talk to my friend,
Jarvis Spencer? He is a gentleman, and a journalist by profession, but
he is also one of the cleverest amateur detectives in England."

She held up her hands with a little gesture of horror. Her eyes were
alight with fear.

"No!" she cried. "No! A thousand times, no! Don't let him come near me,
please. Oh, I wish I could make you understand," she continued
helplessly. "You yourself in Paris only a few weeks ago were in terrible