reau.
But there was nothing about the room of the remotest interest to her
which offered the faintest suggestion, sinister or otherwise.

It was, indeed, only when she looked out of the windows, of which
there were three, that she discovered to the full how utterly helpless
was her position.

The window on the south side was apparently over the window of the
dining-room, and, as she peeped over the sill, looked sheer down the
face of the precipice beneath her.

The west window, she found, looked down into a stone court-yard, while
the window on the east overhung the moat. Apparently she was
imprisoned in a tower.

When Boris had reached the ground floor he sought out Madame Estelle,
and drew a chair to the table at which Madame sat at breakfast.

"Estelle," he said, "the crisis in our fortunes has arrived to-day. I
want all the help you can give me, and you will want all your nerve."

Madame Estelle eyed him calmly.

"Indeed," she said. "But even though the crisis in our fortunes
arrived within the next ten minutes there are certain questions which
I must ask you first."

Boris fidgeted impatiently. He realized that he could no longer baulk
the question of Natalie, and the sooner he got himself out of the
difficulty the better for his day's work. He had all along concealed
from Estelle the fact that he meant to marry his cousin.

"Boris," said Madame, stretching out her right hand and brushing
Boris's lightly with her fingers, "are you playing me false?"

"Playing you false?" he cried, with a fine show of indignation. "What
do you mean?"

"I mean that either you have told me too much or too little. If I am
to believe you, this girl we hold is worth at least half a million
roubles to us. You say you are certain of the money, and that the
moment it is yours we are to be married and leave this miserable mode
of life. If this is so I am content. But now I suspect something else.
Is it not true that as part of the bargain you are to be permitted to
marry her?"

Boris jumped out of his chair.

"It's a lie!" he shouted, "and I'll take my oath that that
rattle-brained fool Verdayne is responsible for your stupid fancies."

"But are they fancies?" urged Madame.

"Fancies! Of course they are fancies. What good do you think it would
do me to be tied to a girl like that? Surely half a million should
content any man. I wish to be free to pursue my life with you. The
sooner indeed I am free from all this business