May I come in?" she asked him from the doorway.

He sprang to his feet. "Why, certainly, Miss Armytage." For so
imperturbable a young man he seemed oddly breathless in his eagerness to
welcome her. "Are you looking for O'Moy? He left me nearly half-an-hour
ago to go to breakfast, and I was just about to follow."

"I scarcely dare detain you, then."

"On the contrary. I mean... not at all. But... were you wanting me?"

She closed the door, and came forward into the room, moving with that
supple grace peculiarly her own.

"I want you to tell me something, Captain Tremayne, and I want you to be
frank with me."

"I hope I could never be anything else."

"I want you to treat me as you would treat a man, a friend of your own
sex."

Tremayne sighed. He had recovered from the surprise of her coming and
was again his imperturbable self.

"I assure you that is the last way in which I desire to treat you. But
if you insist--"

"I do." She had frowned slightly at the earlier part of his speech, with
its subtle, half-jesting gallantry, and she spoke sharply now.

"I bow to your will," said Captain Tremayne.

"What has Dick Butler been doing?"

He looked into her face with sharply questioning eyes.

"What was it that happened at Tavora?"

He continued to look at her. "What have you heard?" he asked at last.

"Only that he has done something at Tavora for which the consequences, I
gather, may be grave. I am anxious for Una's sake to know what it is."

"Does Una know?"

"She is being told now. Count Samoval let slip just what I have
outlined. And she has insisted upon being told everything."

"Then why did you not remain to hear?"

"Because they sent me away on the plea that--oh, on the silly plea of my
youth and innocence, which were not to be offended."

"But which you expect me to offend?"

"No. Because I can trust you to tell me without offending."

"Sylvia!" It was a curious exclamation of satisfaction and of gratitude
for the implied confidence. We must admit that it betrayed a selfish
forgetfulness of Dick Butler and his troubles, but it is by no means
clear that it was upon such grounds that it offended her.

She stiffened perceptibly. "Really, Captain Tremayne!"

"I beg your pardon," said he. "But you seemed to imply--" He checked, at
a loss.

Her colour rose. "Well, sir? What do you suggest that I implied or
seemed to imply?" But as suddenly her manner changed. "I think we are
too concerned wi