story end, though, not there, but far
away; the Castiglione lying dead, with youth and beauty gone, dressed by
her last request in a certain gown she had worn on a certain night at
Compiegne, never to be forgotten.

When at last we did go out to walk and see the wonderful timbered houses
and the blown-up bridges, what I had expected to happen did happen:
Julian O'Farrell contrived to separate me from the others.

"Haven't I been clever?" he asked, with his smile of a naughty child.

"So far as I know of you," I answered, "you are always clever."

"That's the first compliment you've ever paid me! Thanks all the same,
though I'd be the opposite of clever if I thought you wanted me to be
flattered. You're clever, too, so of course you know what I mean as well
as I know myself. Perhaps you thought I was being clever on the sly. But
I'm above that. Haven't I always showed you my cards, trumps and joker
and all?"

"You've shown me how the knave can take a trick!"

He laughed. "History repeating itself! The Queen of Hearts, you
remember--and the Knave of--Spades, wasn't it? I wish it were diamonds
instead: but maybe his spade will dig up a few sparklers in the end.
I've got a splendid plan brewing. But that isn't what I want to talk
about just now. In fact, I _don't_ want to talk about it--yet! You're
not going to admit that you see the results of my cleverness, or that
you'd understand them if you did see. So I'll just wave them under your
darling nose."

It would have been absurd to say: "How dare you call my nose a darling?"
so I said nothing at all.

"You saw it was a plot, getting Brian to go to Paris with us," he went
on. "I saw that you saw it. But I wasn't sure and I'm not sure now, if
you realized its design, as the villain of the piece would remark."

"_You_ ought to know what he'd remark."

"I do, dear villainess! I was going to say, '_Sister_ Villainess,' but I
wouldn't have you for a sister at any price. I've cast you for a
different part. You may have imagined that Dare and I were just grabbing
your brother to spite you, and show what we could do with him."

"I did imagine that!"

"Wrong! Guess again. Or no--you needn't. We may be interrupted any
minute. To save time I'll explain my bag of tricks. Dare wasn't in on
that hand of mine."

"Indeed?"

"You don't believe me? That shows you're no judge of character. Dare
adores her Jule, and what he wants her to do she does; but I told you
she was no a