I 've told him that in English,
and he won't believe me."

"The cad!" exclaimed Monte.

"It does n't seem fair," she mused. "The only thing I ask for is to be
allowed to lead my life undisturbed, and he won't let me. There are
others, too. I had five letters this morning. So all I can do is to
run away again."

"To where?" asked Monte.

"You spoke of the little villages along the Riviera."

"Yes," he nodded. "There is the village of Etois--back in the
mountains."

"Then I might go there. _C'est tout egal_."

She shrugged her shoulders. (She had beautiful shoulders.)

"But look here. Supposing the--this Hamilton should follow you there?"

"Then I must move again."

Monte paced the room. Obviously this was not right. There was no
reason why she should be continually hounded. Yet there seemed to be
no way to prevent it.

He stopped in front of her. She glanced up--her eyes, even now, calm
and deep as trout pools.

"I'll get hold of the beggar to-day," he said grimly.

She shook her head.

"Please not."

"But he's the one who must go away. If I could have a few minutes with
him alone, I think perhaps I could make him see that."

"Please not," she repeated.

"What's the harm?"

"I don't think it would be safe--for either of you."

She raised her eyes as she said that, and for a moment Monte was held
by them. Then she rose.

"After all, it's too bad for me to inflict my troubles on you," she
said.

"I don't mind," he answered quickly. "Only--hang it all, there does
n't seem to be anything I can do!"

"I guess there is n't anything any one can do," she replied helplessly.

"So you're going away?"

"To-night," she nodded.

"To Etois?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps to India. Perhaps to Japan."

It was the indefiniteness that Monte did not relish. Even as she
spoke, it was as if she began to disappear; and for a second he felt
again the full weight of his thirty-two years. He was perfectly
certain that the moment she went he was going to feel alone--more alone
than he had ever felt in his life.

It was in the nature of a hunch. Within twenty-four hours he would be
wandering over Paris as he had wandered yesterday. That would not do
at all. Of course, he could pack up and go on to England, but at the
moment he felt that it would be even worse there, where all the world
spoke English.

"Suppose I order young Hamilton to leave Paris?" he asked.

"But what right have you to order