t
to leaf you. Eef you want to come, you may come an' be our sistaire."

"Oh, Kitty darling, you won't leave me, will you, all alone with this
horrid man?" said Minnie.

"My darling," moaned Mrs. Willoughby, "how can I? I'll go. Oh, my
sweet sister, what misery!"

"Oh, now that will be really _quite_ delightful if you _will_ come,
Kitty darling. Only I'm afraid you'll find it awfully uncomfortable."

Girasole turned once more to the other ladies.

"I beg you will assura de miladi when she recovaire of my
considerazion de mos distingue, an' convey to her de regrettas dat I
haf. Miladi," he continued, addressing Ethel, "you are free, an' can
go. You will not be molest by me. You sall go safe. You haf not ver
far. You sall fin' houses dere--forward--before--not far."

With these words he turned away.

"You mus come wit me," he said to Mrs. Willoughby and Minnie. "Come.
Eet ees not ver far."

He walked slowly into the woods on the left, and the two sisters
followed him. Of the two Minnie was far the more cool and collected.
She was as composed as usual; and, as there was no help for it, she
walked on. Mrs. Willoughby, however, was terribly agitated, and wept
and shuddered and moaned incessantly.

"Kitty darling," said Minnie, "I _wish_ you wouldn't go on so. You
really make me feel quite nervous. I never saw you so bad in my life."

"Poor Minnie! Poor child! Poor sweet child!"

"Well, if I am a child, you needn't go and tell me about it all the
time. It's really quite horrid."

Mrs. Willoughby said no more, but generously tried to repress her own
feelings, so as not to give distress to her sister.

After the Count had entered the wood with the two sisters the drivers
removed the horses from the carriages and went away, led off by the
man who had driven the ladies. This was the man whose stolid face had
seemed likely to belong to an honest man, but who now was shown to
belong to the opposite class. These men went down the road over which
they had come, leaving the carriages there with the ladies and their
maids.

Girasole now led the way, and Minnie and her sister followed him. The
wood was very thick, and grew more so as they advanced, but there was
not much underbrush, and progress was not difficult. Several times a
wild thought of flight came to Mrs. Willoughby, but was at once
dispelled by a helpless sense of its utter impossibility. How could
she persuade the impracticable Minnie, who seemed so free fr