sensibly. In after
days you will laugh over this little incident."

"Whatever I may think in the future," I replied, "just at present it is
confoundedly unpleasant."

Ten minutes later the cab came to a standstill, there was the sound of
opening gates, and a moment later we drove into a stone-paved courtyard.

CHAPTER X

If you could have travelled the world at that moment, from north to
south, and from east to west, I believe you would have found it
difficult to discover a man who felt as foolish as I did when I entered
the gloomy dwelling-place as Hayle's prisoner. To say that I was
mortified by the advantage he had obtained over me would not express my
feelings in the least. To think that I, George Fairfax, who had the
reputation of being so difficult a man to trick, should have allowed
myself to fall into such a palpable trap, seemed sufficiently incredible
as to be almost a matter for laughter rather than rage. There was worse,
however, behind. Miss Kitwater had been so trustful of my capability for
bringing the matter to a successful conclusion, that I dared not imagine
what she would think of me now. Whichever way I looked at it, it was
obvious that Hayle must score. On the one side, he kept me locked up
while he not only made his escape from Paris, but by so doing cut off
every chance of my pursuing him afterwards; on the other, he might
console himself with the almost certain knowledge that I should be
discredited by those who had put their trust in me. How could it very
well be otherwise? I had committed the criminal folly of accepting
hospitality from the enemy, and from that moment I should not be seen.
The natural supposition would be that I had been bought, and that I was
not only taking no further interest in the case, but that I was keeping
out of the way of those who did. To add to my misery, I could easily
imagine the laugh that would go up on the other side of the Channel when
the trick that had been played upon me became known. But having so much
else to think of, that fact, you may be sure, did not trouble me very
much. There were two things, however, about which I was particularly
anxious; one was to set myself right with Miss Kitwater, and the other
was to get even, at any cost, with Hayle. The first seemed the more
difficult.

It must not be supposed that when I had alighted from the carriage I had
given up all hope of escape. On the contrary, had it not been for the
presence of three b