to
recognize the man with them. Page 124.

--_Rosemary._]

Hardly knowing what she did, she sprang up from her bench while they
were still far off, and began walking towards them. There was a queer,
singing noise in her head, and a feeling as if the skin were too tightly
stretched across her forehead. Still, she smiled, and winked her long
lashes to keep her eyes moist and soft.

The sun was on Evelyn Clifford's hair, burnishing it to a halo of gold
under the white hat. She looked radiantly beautiful, and as happy as if
her soul were singing a Christmas Carol. On the face of Hugh Egerton was
a look which no woman could mistake, least of all such a woman as Julie
de Lavalette; and it was not for her, never would be for her.

Now she knew why her expected guest had not come last night, or
remembered to send an excuse. Sick with jealousy and spite, she bowed as
she passed, trying to look eighteen, and tenderly reproachful.

Her bow was returned, indifferently by Evelyn, but by Hugh with eyes of
steel, and a mouth of bronze. If he had cut her, he would have shown
less contempt than in that stiff raising of the hat.

Julie turned and walked straight down to the Condamine, forgetting that
her shoes were tight.

[Illustration: CHAPTER NINE]

THE LAST WORD OF MADEMOISELLE

[Illustration: R]

Rosemary chose the toys for the children of the rock village, and then
the "picnic" began.

The car whizzed them up the zigzag road to La Turbie, while the noon
sunshine still gilded Caesar's Trophy. They lunched in the Moorish
restaurant, and then sped on along the Upper Corniche, with a white sea
of snow mountains billowing away to the right, and a sea of sapphire
spreading to the horizon, on their left.

Out from orange groves and olives they saw the hill of Eze rising like a
horn; while on its almost pointed apex, the old town hung like some
carved fetish, to keep away the witches.

The car swooped down, and up again; but half way up the rocky horn the
wide white road turned into a stone paved mule path, old as the Romans.
Evelyn and Rosemary climbed hand in hand, singing a Christmas carol,
while Hugh carried the two huge baskets filled with toys, and sweets in
little packets.

Some small sentinel perched on high (perhaps hidden among the ruins of
that fortress-castle where once the temple of Isis stood) must have
spied