, Monsieur Garry, if I did I'd venture,
perhaps, to say so to you. Does that make amends?" she added sweetly.

She clasped her white hands on the cloth and looked at him with that
engaging, humorous little air which had so easily captivated her
audiences in Europe--that, and her voice with the hint of recklessness
ever echoing through its sweetness and youthful gaiety.

"What are you doing in New York?" she asked. "Painting?"

"I have a studio, but----"

"But no clients? Is that it? Pouf! Everybody begins that way. I sang
in a cafe at Dijon for five francs and my soup! At Rennes I nearly
starved. Oh, yes, Garry, in spite of a number of obliging gentlemen
who, like you, offered--first aid----"

"That is absolutely rotten of you, Thessa. Did I ever----"

"No! For goodness' sake let me jest with you without flying into
tempers!"

"But----"

"Oh, pouf! I shall not quarrel with you! Whatever you and I were going
to say during the next ten minutes shall remain unsaid!... Now, the
ten minutes are over; now, we're reconciled and you are in good humour
again. And now, tell me about yourself, your painting--in other
words, tell me the things about yourself that would interest a
friend."

"Are you?"

"Your friend? Yes, I am--if you wish."

"I do wish it."

"Then I am your friend. I once had a wonderful evening with you....
I'm having a very good time now. You were _nice_ to me, Garry. I
really was sorry not to see you again."

"At the fountain of Marie de Medicis," he said reproachfully.

"Yes. Flatter yourself, monsieur, because I did _not_ forget our
rendezvous. I might have forgotten it easily enough--there was
sufficient excuse, God knows--a girl awakened by the crash of
ruin--springing out of bed to face the end of the world without a
moment's warning--yes, the end of all things--death, too! Tenez, it
was permissible to forget our rendezvous under such circumstances, was
it not? But--I did _not_ forget. I thought about it in a dumb, calm
way all the while--even while _he_ stood there denouncing me,
threatening me, noisy, furious--with the button of the Legion in his
lapel--and an ugly pistol which he waved in the air--" She laughed:

"Oh, it was not at all gay, I assure you.... And even when I took to
my heels after he had gone--for it was a matter of life or death, and
I hadn't a minute to lose--oh, very dramatic, of course, for I ran
away in disguise and I had a frightful time of it leaving France!
Well