went out he
followed her, leaving Picard and Suzanne to their hour.

CHAPTER V

THE REGISTER

John and Julie in the smoking-room were not lonely. They talked of many
of the events he had suggested, and of more. Two of the windows looked
out upon the town instead of the river, but they could see little there
save the towering spire of the cathedral and the blank and ruined walls.
The snow was already very deep, but the fall was not diminishing. The
gray gloom of coming twilight, however, was beginning to show through it
and once more John returned silent thanks that he had come into Chastel
and found Julie. He was serving vicariously for Philip who undoubtedly
had been held back by the snow.

"It will be night soon," he said. "It's likely that the snow will cease
in the morning, and then I'm quite sure that Philip will come for you.
It must have been his intention for you to help at the hospital camp
below."

"I think so, too."

"Then why not go there in the morning?"

"And he would miss me. He would be searching all Chastel for me, and
perhaps would then go away, believing that I had not come."

He was about to say that Philip, missing her in the town would be sure
to look for her in the hospital camp, but he forebore. It was very
pleasant for them there in the hotel, and why hurry?

"At any rate, it would be unwise to leave tonight," he said. "I think
Suzanne herself will agree with me in that statement. I'll ask her, as
she'll be in here very soon now."

"Why so soon?"

"Because I've noticed that Suzanne, besides being your maid is also your
chaperon."

"She's been that as far back as I can remember, and I believe a most
excellent one. Suzanne, I know, loves me."

"I'm sure of it. I don't blame her."

"Look how the snow is leaping up against the window, Mr. John! Ah,
Suzanne is ahead of your prediction! She's coming now."

Suzanne stood in the doorway. John surmised from her look that her
distrust, at least in a mild form, had sent her there.

"Now that your maid can be with you," he said, "I think I'll take
another look at the front of the hotel. Possibly, a new guest has
arrived and registered since we last saw the bureau. Will you excuse me
for a few minutes, Miss Julie?"

John was merely impelled by a sense of duty to take a look about the
hotel, not that he expected to find anything, but because a good soldier
should never neglect his scouting operations. He went first into the
lit