y. "No," he said, "I am afraid
nothing of the kind has been done--yet. You see, Pargeter believes her
to be here."

The words "But you--_you_ knew she was not here!" trembled on Madame de
Lera's lips, but she did not utter them. She felt as if she were walking
amid quicksands; she told herself that there was far more danger in
saying a word too much than a word too little.

"I regret," she said, "that you have made a useless journey, Mr.
Vanderlyn. I must request you to go back and tell Mr. Pargeter that his
wife is not here, and I beg, I entreat, you to inform the police that
she is missing! For all we know,"--she looked at him with indignant
severity,--"she may be lying ill, mortally injured, in one of our
terrible Paris hospitals!"

As he made no assent to her imploring words, a look of anger came into
Madame de Lera's eyes.

"I will ask you to allow me to return with you to Paris," she said,
quickly. "I cannot rest inactive here in the face of the possibility,
nay, the probability, I have indicated. If you, Mr. Vanderlyn, do not
feel justified in making the enquiries I have suggested, no such scruple
need restrain _me_."

She turned away, making no effort to mask her displeasure, almost her
contempt, for the man who seemed to be so little moved by the mysterious
disappearance of the woman he loved.

A few moments later Madame de Lera came back dressed for the drive. As
they walked through into the hall of the villa, she suddenly turned, and
with a strange gentleness asked her silent companion a question, "Mr.
Vanderlyn, you look very tired; have you had any breakfast?"

He looked at her without answering, and she repeated her words.

"Yes," said Vanderlyn,--"that is, no, I have not. I was up late last
night,--there was no time this morning," he spoke hurriedly, confusedly;
the sudden kindness in her tone had brought scalding tears to his eyes,
and he felt a nervous fear that he was about to break down. Madame de
Lera took his arm; she opened a door and pushed him through into the
kitchen, just now the one bright, warm, cheerful room in the house.

"My good Catherine," she said, "give this gentleman a cup of
coffee--quickly!"

The presence of the old servant steadied Vanderlyn's nerves; with a
muttered word of thanks he drank what was put before him, and then they
went out, across the dewy lawn, to the gate.

Vanderlyn placed his companion in the back of the car, and himself took
the vacant seat next to