d, 'Are you Natalie?'
The only reason I wasn't punched with an umbrella or handed over to the
police was that they probably thought I was crazy.

"When I jumped back into the compartment the Princess was seated where
I had left her, but her eyes were burning with happiness. She placed her
hand on my arm almost affectionately, and said in a hysterical way, 'You
are very kind to me. I am so sorry to have troubled you.'

"I protested that every woman on the platform was dressed in black.

"'Indeed I am so sorry,' she said, laughing; and she continued to laugh
until she began to breathe so quickly that I thought she was going to
faint.

"I can see now that the last part of that journey must have been a
terrible half hour for her. She had the cigar-case safe enough, but she
knew that she herself was not safe. She understood if I were to open my
bag, even at the last minute, and miss the case, I would know positively
that she had taken it. I had placed the diamonds in the bag at the very
moment she entered the compartment, and no one but our two selves had
occupied it since. She knew that when we reached Marseilles she would
either be twenty thousand pounds richer than when she left Paris, or
that she would go to jail. That was the situation as she must have read
it, and I don't envy her her state of mind during that last half hour.
It must have been hell.

[Illustration: 10 She knew she would be twenty thousand pounds richer]

"I saw that something was wrong, and in my innocence I even wondered if
possibly my cognac had not been a little too strong. For she suddenly
developed into a most brilliant conversationalist, and applauded and
laughed at everything I said, and fired off questions at me like a
machine gun, so that I had no time to think of anything but of what she
was saying. Whenever I stirred she stopped her chattering and leaned
toward me, and watched me like a cat over a mouse-hole. I wondered how I
could have considered her an agreeable travelling companion. I thought
I would have preferred to be locked in with a lunatic. I don't like to
think how she would have acted if I had made a move to examine the bag,
but as I had it safely strapped around me again, I did not open it, and
I reached Marseilles alive. As we drew into the station she shook hands
with me and grinned at me like a Cheshire cat.

"'I cannot tell you,' she said, 'how much I have to thank you for.' What
do you think of that for impudence!