driven with the others to the villa.

Two days afterwards, from a hill overlooking the grounds, I saw an old
gentleman in a pony chaise preceded by two footmen in dark green livery.
Adelaide walked on one side, and Isobel on the other. That night I left
Illghera for England.

CHAPTER X

I knew the moment I opened the door that changes were on foot. Our
studio sitting-room was dismantled of many of its treasures. Allan, with
his coat off and a pipe in his mouth, was throwing odds and ends in a
promiscuous sort of way into a huge trunk which stood open upon the
floor. Arthur, a few yards off, was rolling a cigarette.

Our meeting was not wholly free from embarrassment. I think that for the
first time in our lives there was a cloud between Allan and myself. He
stood up and faced me squarely.

"Arnold," he said, "where is Isobel?"

"In Illghera with her grandfather," I answered. "Where else should she
be?"

"Are you sure?"

"I have seen her there with my own eyes," I affirmed.

There was a moment's pause. I saw the two exchange glances. Then Allan
held out his hand.

"That damned woman again!" he exclaimed. "Forgive me, Arnold!"

"Willingly," I answered, "when I know what for."

"Suspecting you. Lady Delahaye wrote Arthur a note, in which she said
that the Archduchess and you had made fresh plans. You can guess what
they were. And Illghera was off. You did hurry us away from Paris a bit,
you know, and I was fool enough to imagine for a moment that there might
be something in it. Forgive me, Arnold!" he added, holding out his hand.

"And me!" Arthur exclaimed, extending his.

I held out a hand to each. There was something grimly humorous in this
reception, after all that I had suffered during the last few days. My
first impulse of anger died away almost as quickly as it had been
conceived.

"My friends," I said, "the Archduchess did propose some such scheme to
me, but you forget that my honour was involved, not only to you, not
only to the child, but to a dead man. I can look you both in the face
and assure you that in word and letter I have been faithful to my
trust."

"I knew it!" Allan declared gruffly. "Dear old chap, forgive me!"

"I am the brute who dangled the letter before his eyes," Arthur
exclaimed bitterly, "and I am the only one of the three who has broken
our covenant."

"My dear friends," I said slowly, "the things which are past, let us
forget. Isobel has gone back to the life