and white alternately.

"Will you not come and have a little conversation with me?"

"I was just going away."

"So soon! Oh, bien! then I will take you to your carriage." He held out
his arm, and Helen was perforce obliged to take it.

There was a little delay in the hall, whilst Helen waited for her, or
rather for her grandfather's carriage, during which she stood with her
hand upon her unwelcome friend's arm. Whilst they were waiting he
whispered something eagerly in her ear.

"No, no; it is impossible!" reiterated Helen, with much apparent
distress.

Monsieur D'Arblet whispered something more.

"Very well, if you insist upon it!" she said, faintly, and then got into
her carriage and was driven away.

Before, however, she had left Walpole Lodge five minutes, she called out
to the servants to stop the carriage. The footman descended from the box
and came round to the window.

They had drawn up by the side of a long wall quite beyond the crowd of
carriages that was waiting at Lady Kynaston's house.

"I want to wait here a few minutes, for--for a gentleman I am going to
drive back to town," she said to the servant, confusedly. She was ashamed
to give such an order to him.

She was frightened too, and trembled with nervousness lest any one should
see her waiting here.

It was a cold, damp night, and Helen shivered, and drew her fur cloak
closer about her in the darkness. Presently there came footsteps along
the pathway, and a man came through the fog up to the door. It was opened
for him in silence, and he got in, and the carriage drove off again.

Monsieur Le Vicomte D'Arblet had a mean, cunning-looking countenance;
strictly speaking, indeed, he was rather handsome, his features being
decidedly well-shaped, but the evil and vindictive expression of his
face made it an unpleasant one to look upon. As he took his seat in the
brougham by Helen's side she shrank instinctively away from him.

"So, ma mie!" he said, peering down into her face with odious
familiarity, "here I find you again after all this time, beautiful as
ever! It is charming to be with you again, once more."

"Monsieur D'Arblet, pray understand that nothing but absolute necessity
would have induced me to drive you home to-night," said Helen, who was
trembling violently.

"You are not polite, ma belle--there is a charming _franchise_ about you
Englishwomen, however, which gives a piquancy to your conversation."

"You know very well why it