but to return at once to the yacht. For a week
Vladimir hunted through street and slum. At the end of that time he
knew that alive or dead he would never see Pauline Souvaroff again.
The missive he had brought her from Sobrenski had probably meant a
journey for her to one of the great centres of the movement--Amsterdam,
Geneva, or perhaps even London.

Alphonse of Spain was now in England, having escaped two attempts upon
his life in Paris, and in his own capital. His every moment would be
watched and noted by the destroyers of monarchy. Probably she had been
chosen to obtain information, because women made better spies than men,
and their movements were not so likely to be noticed by the police.
Many a high official whose name was on the list of those condemned to
death by a revolutionary tribunal had been tracked from city to city by
female agents.

Yet, if she had been sent on such an errand, what reason could she have
had for going in secret, alone and without a word of farewell? He had
supposed it impossible that she could have kept anything from him; of
course there must eventually be separation. He had warned her of that.
And when it came he had expected scenes, tears and a frantic appeal.

That she should vanish in silence was inconceivable. Perhaps she had
not cared for him so much after all. In any case the episode had been
a charming one, and to him no woman could ever have been more than an
episode. He had shown her some of the many beautiful things and places
of the world, and by her own words he had made her happy. Now their
play time was over. He had his work and she hers. She had come into
his life as a piece of driftwood floats to shore on the edge of a wave,
and gone out of it as noiselessly.

Vladimir did not discuss his private affairs, so that among all the
conspirators Emile alone knew, and it was Emile alone who guessed the
truth.

CHAPTER XVII

"Tout passe, tout casse, tout lasse."

For some days Arithelli had not seen Emile, and she had wondered.
Since the night she had sat with Vardri in his room, he had scarcely
spoken to her except for a few moments on business matters.

She thought he looked haggard and worried, and there was a change that
she could not define in his manner towards her. She wondered if he
knew about Vardri, if he thought she was deceiving him.

She wanted to tell of this new, wonderful thing that had befallen her,
but he had given her no ch