oth insisted I should dine with them--an invitation
which I gladly accepted, for my fears were now completely allayed.

We talked of the neighbourhood, of hunting, of Paris, of the new play at
the Nouveautes--I did not mention the Bois. One rarely mentions in
France having seen a woman out of her own home, although I was sure she
remembered me from a look which now and then came into her eyes that
left but little doubt in my mind that she vaguely recalled the incident
at the Pre Catelan with the cow.

It was a simple peasant dinner which followed. When it was over, he
went to a corner cupboard and drew forth a flat box of long perfectos,
which I recognized instantly as the same brand of rare Havanas he had so
extravagantly purchased from the Government. If I had had my doubt as to
the identity of my man it was at rest now.

"You will find them mild," said he with a smile, as he lifted the
tinfoil cover.

"No good cigar is strong," I replied, breaking the untouched row and
bending my head as my host struck a match, my mind more on the scene in
the Government's shop than the quality of his tobacco. And yet with all
the charm that the atmosphere of his place afforded, two things still
seemed to me strange--the absence of a servant, until I realized
instinctively the incident of the balky cow, and the prompt bolting of
the outside door.

The first I explained to myself as being due to her peasant blood and
her ability to help herself; the second to the loneliness of the place
and the characters it sometimes harboured. As for my host, I had to
admit, despite my mental queries, that his bearing and manner
completely captivated me, for a more delightful conversationalist it
would have been difficult to find.

Not only did he know the art of eliminating himself and amusing you with
topics that pleased you, but his cleverness in avoiding the personal was
amazingly skilful. His tact was especially accentuated when, with a
significant look at his companion, who at once rose from her seat and,
crossing the room, busied herself with choosing the liqueurs from a
closet in the corner of the room, he drew me aside by the fire, and in a
calm, sotto voce said with intense earnestness:

"You may think it strange, monsieur, that I invited you, that I was even
insistent. You, like myself, are a man of the world and can understand.
You will do me a great favour if you will not mention to any one having
met either myself or my little