ow.... It's come to a point where I--I'm afraid--to be
alone."

Her gaze fell; she sat brooding for a few moments, then, with a quick
intake of breath:

"It humiliates me to come to you. Would you believe that of me, Garry,
that it has come to a point where I am actually afraid to be alone? I
thought I had plenty of what the world calls courage."

"You have!"

"I _had_. I don't know what's become of it--what has happened to
me.... I don't want to tell you more than I have to----"

"Tell us as much as you think necessary," said Barres, watching her.

"Thank you.... Well, then, some years ago I earned the enmity of a
man. And, through him, a European Government blacklisted me. It was a
terrible thing. I did not fully appreciate what it meant at the time."
She turned to Westmore in her pretty, impulsive way: "This European
Government, of which I speak, believes me to be the agent of another
foreign government--believes that I betrayed its interests. This man
whom I offended, to punish me and to cover his own treachery,
furnished evidence which would have convicted me of treachery and
espionage."

The excited colour began to dye her cheeks again; she stretched out
one arm in appeal to Westmore:

"Please believe me! I am no spy. I never was. I was too young, too
stupid, too innocent in such matters to know what this man was
about--that he had very cleverly implicated me in this abhorrent
matter. Do you believe me, Mr. Westmore?"

"Of course I do!" he said with a fervour not, perhaps, necessary. "If
you'll be kind enough to point out that gentleman----"

"Wait, Jim," interposed Barres, nodding to Thessalie to proceed.

She had been looking at Westmore, apparently much interested in his
ardour, but she came to herself when Barres interrupted, and sat
silent again as though searching her mind concerning what further she
might say. Slowly the forced smile curved her lips again. She said:

"I don't know just what that enraged European Government might have
done to me had I been arrested, because I ran away ... and came
here.... But the man whom I offended discovered where I was and never
for a day even have his agents ceased to watch me, annoy me----"

There was a quick break in her voice; she set her lips in silence
until the moment's emotion had passed, then, turning to Westmore with
winning dignity: "I am a dancer and singer--an entertainer of sorts,
by profession. I----"

"Tell Westmore a little more, Thessa