"I will try," she answered demurely.

"This Englishman--Sir George Duncombe--are you perhaps--how you say,
betrothed to him?"

A certain bluntness in the question, and the real or affected anxiety of
the young man's tone brought the color streaming into her cheeks.

"Monsieur," she exclaimed, "you really must not----"

"Ah, but, Mademoiselle," he interrupted, "so much depends upon your
answer."

"Absurd!" she murmured. "I really do not see why I should answer such a
question at all."

"You will be merciful?" he begged, lowering his tone.

"I will," she answered. "I hope you will appreciate my confidence. I am
not engaged to Sir George Duncombe."

His sigh of relief was marvellous. She found it harder than ever to keep
the laughter from her eyes.

"Mademoiselle," he declared, "it makes me happy to have you say this."

"Really, Vicomte!" she protested.

"The situation, too," he said, "becomes less complex. We can very easily
deal with him now. He shall annoy you no more!"

"But he doesn't annoy me," she answered calmly. "On the contrary I
should like to see him very much, if I were permitted."

"Mademoiselle will understand well the indiscretion," he said earnestly.

She sighed a little wearily.

"I am afraid," she said, "that I find it a little hard to understand
anything clearly, but you see that I trust you. I will not see him."

"Mademoiselle is very wise," he answered. "Indeed, it is better not.
There remains now a question which I have come to ask."

"Well?"

"Mademoiselle did not by chance whilst waiting for her brother think of
examining his luggage?"

She nodded.

"I did look through it," she admitted.

"There was a paper there, which is missing now--a sheet of paper with
writing on it--in German. It is not possible that Mademoiselle took
possession of it?" he demanded eagerly.

She nodded.

"That is just what I did do," she said. "I could read a few words, and I
could not understand how it came to be in his bag. It seemed to be part
of an official agreement between two countries."

"You have it now?" he cried eagerly. "You have it in your possession?"

She shook her head

"I gave it to some one to take care of," she said, "when I was over in
England. I got frightened when we were nearly caught at Runton, and I
did not want it to be found upon me."

"To whom?" he cried.

"To Sir George Duncombe!"

The Vicomte was silent for a moment.

"You believe," he asked, "that Sir G