e
as in myself. Neither of us is so bad as the world has thought, as we
ourselves have thought. Do then, that other miracle for me. Let us
compose our quarrel, and so part friends."

"How do you mean, Madam?"

"Let us divide our dispute, and stand on this treaty as you wrote it
yesterday. Sir Richard, you are minister with extraordinary powers. Your
government ratifies your acts without question. Your signature is
binding--and there it is, writ already on this scroll. See, there are
wafers there on the table before you. Take them. Patch together this
treaty for me. That will be _your_ miracle, Sir Richard, and 'twill be
the mending of our quarrel. Sir, I offered you my body and you would not
take it. I offer you my hand. Will you have _that_, my lord? I ask this
of a gentleman of England."

It was not my right to hear the sounds of a man's shame and
humiliation; or of his rising resolve, of his reformed manhood; but I
did hear it all. I think that he took her hand and kissed it. Presently
I heard some sort of shufflings and crinkling of paper on the table. I
heard him sigh, as though he stood and looked at his work. His heavy
footfalls crossed the room as though he sought hat and stick. Her
lighter feet, as I heard, followed him, as though she held out both her
hands to him. There was a pause, and yet another; and so, with a
growling half sob, at last he passed out the door; and she closed it
softly after him.

When I entered, she was standing, her arms spread out across the door,
her face pale, her eyes large and dark, her attire still disarrayed. On
the table, as I saw, lay a parchment, mended with wafers.

Slowly she came, and put her two arms across my shoulders. "Monsieur!"
she said, "Monsieur!"

CHAPTER XXXV

THE PROXY OF PAKENHAM

A man can not possess anything that is better than a good woman,
nor anything that is worse than a bad one.--_Simonides_.

When I reached the central part of the city, I did not hasten thence to
Elmhurst Mansion. Instead, I returned to my hotel. I did not now care to
see any of my friends or even to take up matters of business with my
chief. It is not for me to tell what feelings came to me when I left
Helena von Ritz.

Sleep such as I could gain, reflections such as were inevitable,
occupied me for all that night. It was mid-morning of the following day
when finally I once more sought out Mr. Calhoun.

He had not expected me, but received me gladly. It