scarded for a flimsy kind of an exquisite
thing of blue--hardly a dress, although it had a lot of lace and seemed
to fit her perfectly. It was open at the throat like some dresses, and
the sleeves fell away from her arms; but I had seen one instinctive
movement she made to pull it closer which might have indicated
embarrassment.

"I've come with Monsieur's permission," I said, bowing over her hand.

"With Monsieur's permission," she repeated after me. "We seem to do
nothing but with Monsieur's permission."

I saw that she was nervous and very much upset, so replied as gently as
I could:

"But this visit involved my promise, otherwise I wouldn't have asked
him. I want to tell you that it's all right about the yacht--your
sending for her, I mean. She'll be on hand to-morrow."

"Thanks, Chancellor." Her tone had changed to one of complete weariness.
"Now leave me, please."

"Leave you," I exclaimed. "I'll do nothing of the kind! The two-day ban
is off, and Monsieur has told me I can say anything I please!"

"And having his permission to say anything you please, did you rehearse
it before him, too?"

This left me helpless, fervently wishing I'd had more of Tommy's
experience with girls' moods. He knew a lot about them, and would have
understood just what to do. But I felt suddenly enraged--not at her, but
at everything, and cried:

"I don't give a damn for him or his permission! He shan't take you
away!"

For the first time she smiled, and held out her hands to me, saying:

"That's good-medicine-talk, Jack. I like it even if it won't cure me.
Say it again--that you don't give a damn for him!"

I would have said something in an entirely different way had not
Echochee been moving about the next room, but I kneeled, leaning over
her, keeping her hand and whispering:

"He shan't dominate our lives! You're going back with me--don't you know
you are?"

"Don't make me sorry you came, Jack," she said softly. "I must go with
him. So let's talk of other things and keep our last evening here from
being a horror."

"I've got to talk about it, as I've got to breathe and think and move
and love you! It's all one! It's my existence, and if you went away it
would be like tearing me to pieces!"

"Oh, but don't you see that I must," she cried despairingly. "I didn't
close my eyes all night, thinking, thinking, thinking! It was agony.
It's agony now. But my decision's been through the fire, Jack, and I
know I'm right!"