d to him to-night when freeing herself from his
embrace she looked up at him, and for this one heavenly second felt
him all her own. "Percy, you will do nothing rash, nothing foolhardy
to-night. That man had planned all that took place yesterday. He hates
you, and ..."

In a moment his face and attitude had changed, the heavy lids drooped
over the eyes, the rigidity of the mouth relaxed, and that quaint,
half-shy, half-inane smile played around the firm lips.

"Of course he does, m'dear," he said in his usual affected, drawly
tones, "of course he does, but that is so demmed amusing. He does not
really know what or how much he knows, or what I know.... In fact...
er... we none of us know anything... just at present...."

He laughed lightly and carelessly, then deliberately readjusted the set
of his lace tie.

"Percy!" she said reproachfully.

"Yes, m'dear."

"Lately when you brought Deroulede and Juliette Marny to England... I
endured agonies of anxiety... and..."

He sighed, a quick, short, wistful sigh, and said very gently:

"I know you did, m'dear, and that is where the trouble lies. I know that
you are fretting, so I have to be so demmed quick about the business,
so as not to keep you in suspense too long.... And now I can't take
Ffoulkes away from his young wife, and Tony and the others are so mighty
slow."

"Percy!" she said once more with tender earnestness.

"I know, I know," he said with a slight frown of self-reproach. "La!
but I don't deserve your solicitude. Heavens know what a brute I was for
years, whilst I neglected you, and ignored the noble devotion which I,
alas! do even now so little to deserve."

She would have said something more, but was interrupted by the entrance
of Juliette Marny into the room.

"Some of your guests have arrived, Lady Blakeney," said the young girl,
apologising for her seeming intrusion. "I thought you would wish to
know."

Juliette looked very young and girlish in a simple white gown, without
a single jewel on her arms or neck. Marguerite regarded her with
unaffected approval.

"You look charming to-night, Mademoiselle, does she not, Sir Percy?"

"Thanks to your bounty," smiled Juliette, a trifle sadly. "Whilst
I dressed to-night, I felt how I should have loved to wear my dear
mother's jewels, of which she used to be so proud."

"We must hope that you will recover them, dear, some day," said
Marguerite vaguely, as she led the young girl out of the small stu