isunderstood!" He sank to one knee and seized the bottom of her
skirt.

"Don't, Prince Koltsoff, please!" Anne was swiftly relenting. She
drew her skirt away and the Prince arising took her hand.

"Ah, please!" she said.

"Not until I hear you are not angry."

"I am not angry."

He had drawn her close to him and they were looking into each other's
eyes.

"What is it?" she asked weakly. Her very personality seemed ebbing
from her.

"You love me?" His voice was almost a whisper.

She smiled wanly.

"_Is_ this love?"

"Is it! What is love? Love is giving--yielding. Love knows neither
country nor patriotism nor religion!" His glittering eyes were still
holding hers. "And so," his voice was low but masterful, "I ask
you--not that I care vitally for the answer of itself; you must know,
must understand my motives--I ask you, did the _D'Estang_ discharge a
torpedo to-night?"

Long they looked at each other and then slowly the girl shook her head.

"You mean no? She did not?" Koltsoff's voice was eager, his arms
tightened about her.

"I do not mean anything."

Then suddenly she twisted out of his arms and stood with white face and
parted lips, pointing to the stairway.

"Now," she cried, "go! Go, I tell you," she stamped her foot as
Koltsoff hesitated. "Go, or I shall hate you!"

CHAPTER XIX

AN ENCOUNTER IN THE DARK

While Anne was detained below by Koltsoff, Sara had gone to her room.
She lay awake for a long time and when her maid informed her that
Emilia was still waiting for her mistress, she gave up the idea of
seeing her and went to sleep.

Armitage in the meantime had placed the car in the garage, entered the
house by the servants' door, and was now sitting in his stocking feet,
smoking a pipe, waiting for quiet to fall upon the house. His nerves
were still taut with the events of the evening; his mind very much
awake and alert. He thrilled with the thought that in all probability
he would have a commendatory letter from the Admiral to send to his
father and that a duplicate would be published to the fleet. As for
his position in the house, that was hourly growing more precarious. So
far as he could gather, almost every one but the Prince and the
Wellington boys knew his identity, and it certainly could not be long
before this ignorant minority would be wiped out. There must be
action, and quick action. With the Prince away for the night the
opportunity could never be