after a moment's stereotyped
conversation, also departed. The Princess and Forrest were alone.

"This is getting worse and worse," Forrest muttered. "He is suspicious.
I am sure that he is. They say that young Engleton was his favourite
brother, and that he is determined--"

"Hush!" the Princess said. "There are too many people about to talk of
these things. I wonder why the Duke took Jeanne off."

"An excuse for getting away from us," Forrest said. "Did you see the
way he looked at me? Ena, I cannot hang on like this any longer. I must
have a few thousand pounds and get away."

The Princess nodded.

"We will go and talk to De Brensault," she said. "I should think he
would be just in the frame of mind to consent to anything."

The Duke, who was well acquainted with the house in which they were,
led Jeanne into a small retiring room and found her an easy chair.

"My dear young lady," he said, "I hope you will not be disappointed,
but I have not danced for ten years. I brought you here because I
wanted to say something to you."

Jeanne looked up at him a little surprised.

"Something to me?" she repeated.

He bowed.

"Andrew de la Borne is one of my oldest and best friends," he said,
"and what I am going to say to you is a little for his sake, although I
am sure that if I knew you better I should say it also for your own.
You must not be annoyed or offended, because I am old enough to be your
father, and what I say I say altogether for your own good. They tell me
that you are a young lady with a great fortune, and you know that
nowadays half the evil that is done in the world is done for the sake
of money. Frankly, without wishing to say a word against your
stepmother, I consider that for a young girl you are placed in a very
difficult and dangerous position. The man Forrest--mind you must not be
offended if he should be a friend of yours--but I am bound to tell you
that I believe him to be an unscrupulous adventurer, and I am afraid
that your stepmother is very much under his influence. You have no
other relatives or friends in this country, and I hear that a man named
De Brensault is a suitor for your hand."

"I shall never marry him," Jeanne said firmly. "I think that he is
detestable."

"I am glad to hear you say so," the Duke continued, "because he is not
a man whom I would allow any young lady for whom I had any shade of
respect or affection, to become acquainted with. Now the fact that your
stepmot