glass at the tavern?"

His companion, marveling inwardly, agreed to this, and a few moments later
the two men were seated under the awning of the Three Wise Men.

"Now," began Groener, with perfect simplicity and friendliness, "I'll
explain the trouble between Alice and me. I've had a hard time with that
girl, M. Matthieu, a very hard time. If it wasn't for her mother, I'd have
washed my hands of her long ago; but her mother was a fine woman, a noble
woman. It's true she made one mistake that ruined her life and practically
killed her, still----"

"What mistake was that?" inquired Matthieu with sympathy.

"Why, she married an American who was--the less we say about him the
better. The point is, Alice is half American, and ever since she has been
old enough to take notice, she has been crazy about American men." He
leaned closer and, lowering his voice, added: "That's why I had to send her
to Paris five years ago."

"You don't say!"

"She was only thirteen then, but well developed and very pretty and--M.
Matthieu, she got gone on an American who was spending the winter in
Brussels, a married man. I had to break it up somehow, so I sent her away.
Yes, sir." He shook his head sorrowfully.

"And now it's another American, a man in prison, charged with a horrible
crime. Think of that! As soon as Mother Bonneton wrote me about it, I saw
I'd have to take the girl away again. I told her this morning she must pack
up her things and go back to Brussels with me, and that made the trouble."

"Ah!" exclaimed Matthieu with an understanding nod. "Then she knew at
luncheon that you would take her back to Brussels?"

"Of course she did. You know how she acted; she had made up her mind she
wouldn't go. Only she was tricky about it. She knew I had my eye on her, so
she got this priest to help her."

Now the other stared in genuine astonishment. "Why--was the priest in it?"

"Was he in it? Of course he was in it. He was the whole thing. This Father
Anselm has been encouraging the girl for months, filling her up with
nonsense about how it's right for a young girl to choose her own husband.
Mother Bonneton told me."

"You mean that Father Anselm helped her to run away?" gasped Matthieu.

"Of course he did. You saw him come out of the confessional, didn't you?"

"I was too far away to see his face," replied the other, studying the wood
carver closely. "Did _you_ see his face?"

"Certainly I did. He passed within ten feet of me