thout resentment, but
softly, with a falling cadence.

He suddenly threw down the hat he had held in his hand, and extended his
arms toward her.

"You are not unkind or unjust. You have a right to know who I am and what
I am doing here. It seems an impertinence to thrust my affairs upon you;
but if you will listen I should like to tell you--it will take but a
moment--why and what--"

"Please do not! As I told you, I have no curiosity in the matter. I can't
allow you to tell me; I really don't want to know!"

"I am willing that every one should know--to-morrow--or the day
after--not later."

She lifted her head, as though with the earnestness of some new thought.

"The day after may be too late. Whatever it is that you have done--"

"I have done nothing to be ashamed of,--I swear I have not!"

"Whatever it is,--and I don't care what it is,"--she said deliberately,
"--it is something quite serious, Mr. Armitage. My brother--"

She hesitated for a moment, then spoke rapidly.

"My brother has been detailed to help in the search for you. He is at
Storm Springs now."

"But _he_ doesn't understand--"

"My brother is a soldier and it is not necessary for him to understand."

"And you have done this--you have come to warn me--"

"It does look pretty bad," she said, changing her tone and laughing a
little. "But my brother and I--we always had very different ideas about
you, Mr. Armitage. We hold briefs for different sides of the case."

"Oh, I'm a case, am I?" and he caught gladly at the suggestion of
lightness in her tone. "But I'd really like to know what he has to do
with my affairs."

"Then you will have to ask him."

"To be sure. But the government can hardly have assigned Captain
Claiborne to special duty at Monsieur Chauvenet's request. I swear to you
that I'm as much in the dark as you are."

"I'm quite sure an officer of the line would not be taken from his duties
and sent into the country on any frivolous errand. But perhaps an
Ambassador from a great power made the request,--perhaps, for example,
it was Baron von Marhof."

"Good Lord!"

Armitage laughed aloud.

"I beg your pardon! I really beg your pardon! But is the Ambassador
looking for me?"

"I don't know, Mr. Armitage. You forget that I'm only a traitor and not a
spy."

"You are the noblest woman in the world," he said boldly, and his heart
leaped in him and he spoke on with a fierce haste. "You have made
sacrifices for me that no wo