ted complexion.

"You may doubt me if you choose," she said, still smiling; "but I have
told you the truth. I am thirty-eight years of age according to the
world's counting. What I am, measured by another standard of time,
matters not just now. You see I look young, and, what is more, I am
young. I enjoy my youth. I hear that women of society at thirty-eight
are often faded and blase--what a pity it is that they do not
understand the first laws of self-preservation! But to resume what I
was saying, you know now that I am quite old enough in the eyes of the
world to chaperon you or anybody. You had better arrange to stay here.
Casimir asked me to settle the matter with, you."

As she spoke, Heliobas and Prince Ivan entered. The latter looked
flushed and excited--Heliobas was calm and stately as usual. He
addressed himself to me at once.

"I have ordered my carriage, mademoiselle, to take you back this
evening to the Avenue du Midi. If you will do as Zara tells you, and
explain to your friends the necessity there is for your being under the
personal supervision of your doctor, you will find everything will
arrange itself very naturally. And the sooner you come here the
better--in fact, Zara will expect you here to-morrow early in the
afternoon. I may rely upon you?"

He spoke with a certain air of command, evidently expecting no
resistance on my part. Indeed, why should I resist? Already I loved
Zara, and wished to be more in her company; and then, most probably, my
complete restoration to health would be more successfully and quickly
accomplished if I were actually in the house of the man who had
promised to cure me. Therefore I replied:

"I will do as you wish, monsieur. Having placed myself in your hands, I
must obey. In this particular case," I added, looking at Zara,
"obedience is very agreeable to me."

Heliobas smiled and seemed satisfied. He then took a small goblet from
a side-table and left the room. Returning, however, almost immediately
with the cup filled to the brim, he said, handing it to me:

"Drink this--it is your dose for to-night; and then you will go home,
and straight to bed."

I drank it off at once. It was delicious in flavour--like very fine
Chianti.

"Have you no soothing draught for me?" said Prince Ivan, who had been
turning over a volume of photographs in a sullenly abstracted sort of
way.

"No," replied Heliobas, with a keen glance at him; "the draught fitted
for your present co