he said, "you know that I am a professional optimist, and
I have faith in my luck. I have been thinking matters over calmly, and,
to tell you the truth, I am not in the least alarmed."

Lady Carey looked at her curiously.

"Has the optimism been imbibed," she asked, "or is it spontaneous?"

Lucille smiled.

"Unless the little man in the plaid mackintosh poured it into the coffee
with the milk," she said, "I could not possibly have imbibed it, for I
haven't spoken to another soul since we left."

"Paris! Here we are, thank goodness. Celeste can see the things through
the customs. She is quite used to it. We are going to the Ritz, I
suppose!"

CHAPTER XLI

At eight o'clock in the evening Lucille knocked at the door of Lady
Carey's suite of rooms at the hotel. There was no answer. A chambermaid
who was near came smiling up.

"Miladi has, I think, descended for dinner," she said.

Lucille looked at her watch. She saw that she was a few minutes late, so
she descended to the restaurant. The small table which they had reserved
was, however, still unoccupied. Lucille told the waiter that she would
wait for a few moments, and sent for an English newspaper.

Lady Carey did not appear. A quarter of an hour passed. The head waiter
came up with a benign smile.

"Madam will please to be served?" he suggested, with a bow.

"I am waiting for my friend Lady Carey," Lucille answered. "I understood
that she had come down. Perhaps you will send and see if she is in the
reading-room."

"With much pleasure, madam," the man answered.

In a few minutes he returned.

"Madam's friend was the Lady Carey?" he asked.

Lucille nodded.

The man was gently troubled.

"But, Miladi Carey," he said, "has left more than an hour ago."

Lucille looked up, astonished.

"Left the hotel?" she exclaimed.

"But yes, madam," he exclaimed. "Miladi Carey left to catch the boat
train at Calais for England."

"It is impossible," Lucille answered. "We only arrived at midday."

"I will inquire again," the man declared. "But it was in the office that
they told me so."

"They told you quite correctly," said a familiar voice. "I have come
to take her place. Countess, I trust that in me you will recognise an
efficient substitute."

It was the Prince of Saxe Leinitzer who was calmly seating himself
opposite to her. The waiter, with the discretion of his class, withdrew
for a few paces and stood awaiting orders. Lucille looked across at h