yes glowed, her
breath came and went rapidly through her quivering nostrils. Mme. la
Duchesse d'Agen looked down on her niece with naive admiration.

"_He_ my little Joan of Arc!" she said merrily, "_par Dieu_, your
eloquence, _ma mignonne_, has warmed up my old heart too. But, please
God, our dear old country will not have need of heroism again."

"I am not so sure of that, _ma tante_."

"You are thinking of that ugly rumour which was current in Grenoble
yesterday."

"Yes!"

"If that Corsican brigand dares to set his foot again upon this land
. . ." began the old lady vehemently.

"Let him come, _ma tante_," broke in Crystal exultantly, "we are ready
for him. Let him come, and this time when God has punished him again, it
won't be to Elba that he will be sent to expiate his villainies!"

"Amen to that, my child," concluded Madame fervently. "And now, my dear,
don't let me forget the hour of my audience. Hector will be back in a
moment or two, and I must not lose any more time gossiping. But before I
go, little one, will you tell me one thing?"

"Of course I will, _ma tante_."

"Quite frankly?"

"Absolutely."

"Well then, I want to know . . . about that English friend of yours.
. . ."

"Mr. Clyffurde, you mean?" asked Crystal. "What about him?"

"I want to know, my dear, what I ought to make of this Mr. Clyffurde."

Crystal laughed lightly, and looked up with astonished, inquiring,
wide-open eyes to her aunt.

"What should you want to make of him, _ma tante_?" she asked, wholly
unperturbed under the scrutinising gaze of Madame.

"Nothing," said the Duchesse abruptly. "I have had my answer, thank you,
dear."

Evidently she had no intention of satisfying the girl's obvious
curiosity, for she suddenly rose from her chair, gathered her lace shawl
round her shoulders, and said with abrupt transition:

"The hour for my audience is at hand. Not one minute must I keep my
august brother waiting. I can hear Hector's footsteps in the corridor,
and I will not have him see me in a fluster."

Crystal looked as if she would have liked to question Madame a little
more closely about her former cryptic utterance, but there was something
in the sarcastic twinkle of those sharp eyes which caused the young girl
to refrain from too many questions, and--very wisely--she decided to
hold her peace.

Madame la Duchesse threw a quick glance into the gilt-framed mirror
close by. She smoothed a stray wisp of hair which ha