tendered his cigarette
case, and then a match, wondering what next. What he had reason to
anticipate was sure to come, the only question was when. Not that it
mattered when; he was ready for it at any time. And there was no hurry:
Athenais, finding herself paired with an un-commonly good dancer in Le
Brun, was considerately making good use of this pretext for remaining
on the floor--there were two bands to furnish practically continuous
music--and leave Lanyard to finish uninterrupted what she perfectly
understood to be a conversation of considerable moment.

As for Benouville, he was much too well trained to dream of returning
without being bidden by Liane Delorme.

"But it is wonderful," murmured that one, pensive.

And there was that in her tone to make Lanyard mentally prick forward
his ears. He sketched a point of interrogation.

"To encounter so much understanding in one who is a complete stranger."

("'Complete'?" Lanyard considered. "I think it's coming...")

"Monsieur must not think me unappreciative."

"Ah, mademoiselle!" he protested sadly--"but you forget so easily."

"That we have met before, when I term you a complete stranger?"

"Well... yes."

"It is because I would not be in monsieur's debt!"

"Pardon?"

"I will repay sympathy with sympathy. I have already forgotten that I
ever visited the Chateau de Montalais. So how should I remember I met
monsieur there under the name of... but I forget."

"The name of Duchemin?"

"I never knew there was such a name--I swear!--before I saw it in type
to-day."

"In type?"

"Monsieur does not read the papers?"

"Not all of them, mademoiselle."

"It appeared in Le Matin to-day, this quaint name Duchemin, in a
despatch from Millau stating that a person of that name, a guest of the
Chateau de Montalais, had disappeared without taking formal leave of
his hosts."

"One gathers that he took something else?"

"Nothing less than the world-known Anstruther collection of jewels, the
property of Madame de Montalais nee Anstruther."

"But I am recently from the Chateau de Montalais, and in a position to
assure mademoiselle that this poor fellow, Duchemin, is unjustly
accused."

"Oh, ho, ho!"

He heard again that laugh of broad derision which had seemed so out of
character with a great lady when he had heard it first, that night now
nearly a month old.

"Mademoiselle does not believe?"

"I think monsieur must be a good friend to this Monsieur Duch