nsoling--rather the other way. The gentleman
had gone out about midnight (I knew that already), and hadn't returned
since. Henri had been to the Bureau to ask, and it had struck him, he
admitted to me on being catechised, that his questions had been answered
with a certain reserve, as if more were known of the absent gentleman's
movements than it was considered wise to tell.

My servant had not been long away, though it seemed long to me, and he
had delayed only to buy all the evening papers, which he "thought that
Mademoiselle would like to see, as they were sure to be filled with
praise of her great acting." It was on my tongue to scold him for
stopping even one moment, when he had been told to hurry, but he looked
so pleased at his own cleverness that I hadn't the heart to dash his
happiness. I would, however, have pushed the papers aside without so
much as glancing at them, if it hadn't suddenly occurred to me that, if
any accident had befallen Ivor, news of it might possibly have got into
print by this time.

When I read what had happened--how he was accused of murder, and while
declaring his innocence had been silent as to all those events which
might have proved it, my heart went out to him in a wave of gratitude.
Here was a man! A man loyal and brave and chivalrous as all men ought to
be, but few are! He had sacrificed himself to the death, no doubt, to
keep my name out of the mud into which my business had thrown him, and
to save me from appearing in Raoul's eyes the liar that I was. Had Ivor
told that he was with me, after I had prevaricated (if I had not
actually lied) to Raoul about the midnight visitor to my house, what
would Raoul think of me?

Ivor was trying to save me, if he could; and he had been trying to save
me when he went to the room of that dead man, though how and when he had
decided to go I knew not. If it were not for me, he would be free and
happy to-day.

My conscience cried out that the one thing to do was to go at once to
the Chief of Police and say: "Monsieur, this English gentleman they have
arrested cannot have committed a murder in the Rue de la Fille Sauvage,
between twelve and one last night, for he came to my house, far away in
the Rue d'Hollande, at a quarter past twelve, and didn't leave it till
after one o'clock."

I even sprang up from my chair in the very room where I had hidden Ivor,
to ring for Marianne and tell her to bring me a hat and coat, to bid her
order my electr