te on the bare hillside.

"I should consider myself no less a murderer than the man who shot your
husband," I answered, "if I sent her there. I have made all the
enquiries I could in the neighbourhood, and I have added to them my own
impressions. The secular part of the place may be conducted as other
places of its sort, but the great object of Madame Richard's sister is
to pass her pupils from that into the religious portion. Isobel is not
adapted for such a life."

Lady Delahaye shrugged her shoulders.

"Well," she said, "I am a Catholic, so of course I don't agree with you.
But why do you hesitate to give the child up to me?"

I was silent for a moment. It was not easy to put my feeling into words.

"Lady Delahaye," I said, "you must forgive my reminding you that on the
occasion of your visit to us you did not attempt to conceal the fact
that your feelings towards her were inimical. Beyond that, I was pledged
not to hand her back into your husband's care, and----"

"Pledged by whom?" she asked quickly.

"I am afraid," I said, "that I cannot answer you that question."

She flashed an angry glance upon me.

"You pretend that the man who called himself Grooten was not your
friend. Yet you have been in communication with him since!"

"I saw Mr. Grooten for the first time in my life on the morning of that
day," I answered.

"You know where he is now?" she asked, watching me keenly.

"I have not the slightest idea. I wish that I did know," I declared
truthfully. "There is no man whom I am more anxious to see."

"You would, of course, inform the police?" she asked.

"I am afraid not," I answered.

Again she was angry. This time scarcely without reason.

"Your sympathies, in short, are with the murderer rather than with his
victim--the man who was shot without warning in the back? It accords, I
presume, with your idea of fair play?"

"Lady Delahaye," I said, "the subject is unpleasant and futile. Let us
return to the inn."

She turned abruptly around. She made a little motion as of dismissal,
but I remained by her side.

"By-the-bye," I said, "we were to exchange confidences. You are here, of
course, to visit the convent? Why?"

She smiled enigmatically.

"I am not sure, my very simple conspirator," she said, "whether I will
imitate your frankness. You see, you have blundered into a somewhat more
important matter than you have any idea of. But I will tell you this, if
you like. You may call that pla