wl of goldfish with
the tip of a polished finger-nail; the room was very cool. She held a
letter out. "Your uncle is not coming back tonight."

Christian took the letter. It was curtly worded, in a thin, toppling
hand:

"DEAR CON--Can't get back to-night. Sending Dominique for things.
Tell Christian to come over with him for night if possible.--Yr. aff.
brother, NICLS. TREFFRY."

"Dominique has a carriage here," said Mrs. Decie. "You will have nice
time to catch the train. Give my love to your uncle. You must take
Barbi with you, I insist on that." She rose from her chair and held
Christian's hand: "My dear! You look very tired--very! Almost ill. I
don't like to see you look like that. Come!" She thrust her pale lips
forward, and kissed the girl's paler cheek.

Then as Christian left the room she sank back in her chair, with
creases in her forehead, and began languidly to cut a magazine. 'Poor
Christian!' she thought, 'how hardly she does take it! I am sorry
for her; but perhaps it's just as well, as things are turning out.
Psychologically it is interesting!'

Christian found her things packed, and the two servants waiting. In a
few minutes they were driving to the station. She made Dominique take
the seat opposite.

"Well?" she asked him.

Dominique's eyebrows twitched, he smiled deprecatingly.

"M'mselle, Mr. Treffry told me to hold my tongue."

"But you can tell me, Dominique; Barbi can't understand."

"To you, then, M'mselle," said Dominique, as one who accepts his fate;
"to you, then, who will doubtless forget all that I shall tell you--my
master is not well; he has terrible pain here; he has a cough; he is not
well at all; not well at all."

A feeling of dismay seized on the girl.

"We were a caravan for all that night," Dominique resumed. "In the
morning by noon we ceased to be a caravan; Signor Harz took a mule path;
he will be in Italy--certainly in Italy. As for us, we stayed at San
Martino, and my master went to bed. It was time; I had much trouble with
his clothes, his legs were swollen. In the afternoon came a signor
of police, on horseback, red and hot; I persuaded him that we were at
Paneveggio, but as we were not, he came back angry--Mon Die! as angry
as a cat. It was not good to meet him--when he was with my master I was
outside. There was much noise. I do not know what passed, but at
last the signor came out through the door, and went away in a hurry."
Dominique's features were fixed in