one."

"_I'm_ the lucky one," Arlee flashed. "Think of the glorious luck
for me that sent him to paint there, outside the palace, where a
maid mistook him, and so gave a message. Why, it was a chance in a
million, in ten million--and it happened!"

"Happened?" Falconer looked at her a minute before continuing. Then
he asked quietly, "He told you that he just--happened--there?"

"Yes, he said by accident. He was painting----"

Now Falconer was an honest young man--and a gentleman. Deliberately
he brushed away his rival's generous subterfuge. "He doesn't paint,"
he told her. "He did that for an excuse--for a reason to stay
outside the palace. No chance directed it."

"Why, how--how did he know? Before----"

"He guessed. He was uneasy from the beginning--he made conjectures
and set himself to verify them."

After a moment, "I never knew--_that_!" said Arlee in slow wonder.

"Well, you know now," returned Falconer with a sense of grim justice
to the man he had belittled.

In the silence the girl moved toward the steps. He made a gesture to
stay her.

"You're not going--yet?"

"Yet?" she echoed, faintly mocking. "It's _hours_."

"But--but we can never see this again," he argued, weakly, parrying
with himself.

"We won't--forget it."

The words held a too-keen prophecy for him. He looked at her in
heart-beating uncertainty, and it seemed to him that all his future
was waiting on that moment. Should he speak? Should he utter that
which had been so near utterance when her astounding revelation had
stopped him?... After all, he knew nothing of her--but that she was
lovely and wilful and enchanting--with a capacity for risk--and a
dire disregard of consequences.... She was volatile, unstable,
bewildering--so he thought stiffeningly as he looked at her, but he
looked too long.

She was the very spirit of loveliness in the silver moon, her hair
a crown of light, her eyes deep with shadowy wistfulness, her lips
half sad, half tender.... He felt the blood burn hot in his face,
and took a quick step to bar the way.

"You must wait to hear what I was saying," he said, with a ring of
new command.

She gave him a sudden, startled look, and moved as if to pass him.

"You were saying--nothing," she answered proudly.

"I was saying--everything," he gave back incoherently. "Oh, Arlee,
do you think that story stops me! Don't you know--how much I want
you?" and with sudden vehemence he bent to clasp her in his arms.