Mary shrank a little from the familiar name on lips that had no right
to it; yet she answered gently: "Even he doesn't know. He's in Rome; but
perhaps you've heard. It was in the paper, Marie--Princess Della Robbia
told me. I shall write to him, of course."

"Of course. Meanwhile, you seem to be--sneaking off the stage when
nobody's looking." Lady Dauntrey laughed a staccato laugh at her own
rather lumbering joke.

"Nobody but you and Lord Dauntrey, as it happens."

"Well," Eve began to speak slowly, as if on reflection, "I'm sure you
must have some wise reason for what you're doing, dear; but whatever it
is, I can't help thinking it will be a very good thing for you to have
us with you. You're too young and pretty to be running about by
yourself, and going to stay in lonesome villas. There are servants at
the Chateau Lontana who expect you, anyhow, I suppose?"

"Only a caretaker Captain Hannaford put in. I haven't had time to let
her know."

"Dear me, you are casual! The place is near Ventimiglia, isn't it? I've
never seen it."

"I've only passed, motoring to Bordighera. It's not very far beyond the
frontier."

"Good! That simplifies matters. Dauntrey can easily run back to Monte
to-morrow and get his money. When are you starting, dear?"

"I must find out about trains. And before I leave, I have to go to the
Galerie Charles Trois and get a jeweller there to take back one or two
pieces of jewellery, for I must have some money. When I--decided to
start this evening, the bank was already shut."

Lady Dauntrey darted a sudden glance of interest at the bag in Mary's
hand, which she had been too preoccupied to notice until now. Her guest
had kept most of the much talked of jewels at the bank, while staying at
the Villa Bella Vista, but it was not difficult to guess that at present
they were in their owner's hand.

"You won't get nearly what the things are worth," she said. "A pity to
sell just because you were too late to cash a cheque! I've got a hundred
francs. Why not let us all three go to Italy with that, and Dauntrey can
finance you with the Casino money till you get some from your bank? He
can take over a cheque of yours. That would save time, you know--for
it's late already."

"Very well," Mary agreed. A heavy sense of depression had fallen upon
her. The eager anxiety she had felt to reach the end of her journey and
write to Vanno died down like a fire quenched by water.

"You didn't tell me that you