d Greatson!
There! You're in love with Isobel! Any fool can see it, and you want to
keep the child all to yourself."

Allan took a quick step forward, but I held out my hand.

"Don't interfere, Allan," I said. "Let him say all that he has to say."

"I mean to!" Arthur continued, "and I hope you'll like it. The compact
was a fraud from beginning to end, and I'll have no more to do with it.
Isobel's too old to live here with you fellows, and I'm going to ask her
to marry me. I'm going to advise her to go and stay with Lady Delahaye,
who wants her, and I'm going to marry her from there if she'll have me."

"Lady Delahaye," I repeated thoughtfully. "You have been in
communication with her, have you?"

"Yes, I have! And I think she's right. Isobel ought to have some women
friends. She may have enemies, but I'm not so sure about that. Lady
Delahaye isn't one of them, at any rate. The people who want to get her
away from here may be her best friends, after all."

"Is that all, Arthur?"

"It's enough, isn't it?" he answered doggedly.

"Quite! Now listen," I said. "To-night we are going to hear Isobel's
history. We are going to know who she is, and all about her. Stay with
us, and you shall share the knowledge. As for the rest, you have been
talking like a fool. We do not wish to take you seriously. We took up
the charge of Isobel jointly. If the time has come now for us to give
her up, I should like us all to be in agreement. It is very likely that
the time has come. I, too, think that in many ways it would be for her
benefit. We are prepared to give her up when we know the proper people
to undertake the care of her--but never, Arthur, to Lady Delahaye."

Arthur smiled slowly, but it was not a pleasant smile.

"Ah!" he said, "I forgot. Lady Delahaye is an old friend of yours, isn't
she?"

"Your insinuations are childish, Arthur," I answered. "Lady Delahaye is
an old friend of the Archduchess's, and their interest in Isobel is
identical. For many reasons I am going to know Isobel's history before I
give her up to either of them."

"And who is going to tell it to you?" he asked.

"Feurgeres," I answered. "He sent for us at the theatre to-night. He is
coming on here."

There was a sharp tapping at the door. I moved across the room to open
it. Arthur threw his hat upon the table.

"I will wait!" he declared.

CHAPTER XIII

We all knew Isobel's history. It had taken barely twenty minutes to tell
it, but