Roger Broom injustice. He defended you. Virginia thought that
your friendship was not worth much, since you believed Maxime Dalahaide
guilty, but Sir Roger assured her you had behaved exceedingly well."

"H'm! One knows what faint praise can do. Did he give her all the details
of that loathsome story?"

"No; he refused. I was rather sorry, as I was interested by that time.
Besides, I had wanted to know, and I couldn't think of any one it would
be convenient to ask, except Sir Roger or you."

"I wish he had told her all! If he had, she would never have wished to
hear of the Dalahaides again."

"You speak bitterly of your old friends."

"I? No, you misunderstand. I mean only that a girl--a stranger--would be
horrified if she could know the full details. It was a ghastly affair. I
loved Max, but there was no excuse for him--none. And it would be better
for Miss Beverly to have nothing to do with that family. They bring
unhappiness to all who come near them. It is as if they were under a
curse, which every one connected with them must share. I can't bear to
think that so black a shadow should darken _her_ sunlight. Already, you
see, she has changed. She goes once to the Chateau de la Roche, and the
spell falls upon her."

"I'm not sure that she hasn't been more than once," said Lady Gardiner.

"Ah! that was one of the things I wished to ask. You think so?"

"I don't know. The morning after we all went there she disappeared for
hours, and would say nothing except that she had slept badly, got up
early, and gone off for a ride. Whether Mr. Trent was with her or not I
can't tell but when I first saw her, after looking everywhere, they were
together, so absorbed in what they were saying that I believe if a
revolver had been fired within a dozen yards of them they would hardly
have heard it. At luncheon that same day, Sir Roger was telling me how he
had seen the agent, and found out about the chateau, as it appears she
had asked him to do--she has but to ask and to have, with him, you must
know!--and though she was pleased and interested to a certain extent,
still, she seemed to be thinking of something else."

"That _something else_! If I could find out what that was, I might know
who is taking her from me."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple an affair to unravel as that; for I can
tell you one of the things, at least, which was apparently occupying her
thoughts at the time, yet I can't quite see why or how it could have