ay not have wished to kill you; she merely
wanted to prevent you from singing, but she ran a serious risk of
murder, and she must have known it."

Rosa began to sob, and I led her back to her chair.

"I ought not to have told you to-night," I said. "But we should
communicate with the police, and I wanted your authority before doing
so."

She dried her eyes, but her frame still shook.

"I will sing 'Carmen,'" she said passionately.

"Of course you will. We must get these two arrested, and you shall
have proper protection."

"Police? No! We will have no police."

"You object to the scandal? I had thought of that."

"It is not that I object to the scandal. I despise Deschamps and
Yvette too much to take the slightest notice of either of them. I
could not have believed that women would so treat another woman." She
hid her face in her hands.

"But is it not your duty--" I began.

"Mr. Foster, please, please don't argue. I am incapable of prosecuting
these creatures. You say Yvette is locked up in the salon. Go to her,
and tell her to depart. Tell her that I shall do nothing, that I do
not hate her, that I bear her no ill-will, that I simply ignore her.
And let her carry the same message to Carlotta Deschamps."

"Suppose there should be a further plot?"

"There can't be. Knowing that this one is discovered, they will never
dare.... And even if they tried again in some other way, I would
sooner walk in danger all my life than acknowledge the existence of
such creatures. Will you go at once?"

"As you wish;" and I went out.

"Mr. Foster."

She called me back. Taking my hand with a gesture half-caressing, she
raised her face to mine. Our eyes met, and in hers was a gentle,
trustful appeal, a pathetic and entrancing wistfulness, which sent a
sudden thrill through me. Her clasp of my fingers tightened ever so
little.

"I haven't thanked you in words," she said, "for all you have done for
me, and are doing. But you know I'm grateful, don't you?"

I could feel the tears coming into my eyes.

"It is nothing, absolutely nothing," I muttered, and hurried from the
room.

At first, in the salon, I could not see Yvette, though the electric
light had been turned on, no doubt by herself. Then there was a
movement of one of the window-curtains, and she appeared from behind
it.

"Oh, it is you," she said calmly, with a cold smile. She had
completely recovered her self-possession, so much was evident; and
apparentl