," he said, slowly, "I desire
you purely in your own interests to consider whither you are going."

"I am well able to consider it for myself, and to decide without advice
from you, monsieur."

"And now you've got your answer," chuckled Binet. "I hope you like it."

Andre-Louis had paled a little; there was incredulity in his great
sombre eyes as they continued steadily to regard her. Of M. Binet he
took no notice.

"Surely, mademoiselle, you cannot mean that willingly, with open
eyes and a full understanding of what you do, you would exchange an
honourable wifehood for... for the thing that such men as M. de La Tour
d'Azyr may have in store for you?"

M. Binet made a wide gesture, and swung to his daughter. "You hear him,
the mealy-mouthed prude! Perhaps you'll believe at last that marriage
with him would be the ruin of you. He would always be there the
inconvenient husband--to mar your every chance, my girl."

She tossed her lovely head in agreement with her father. "I begin to
find him tiresome with his silly jealousies," she confessed. "As a
husband I am afraid he would be impossible."

Andre-Louis felt a constriction of the heart. But--always the actor--he
showed nothing of it. He laughed a little, not very pleasantly, and
rose.

"I bow to your choice, mademoiselle. I pray that you may not regret it."

"Regret it?" cried M. Binet. He was laughing, relieved to see his
daughter at last rid of this suitor of whom he had never approved, if we
except those few hours when he really believed him to be an eccentric
of distinction. "And what shall she regret? That she accepted the
protection of a nobleman so powerful and wealthy that as a mere trinket
he gives her a jewel worth as much as an actress earns in a year at the
Comedie Francaise?" He got up, and advanced towards Andre-Louis. His
mood became conciliatory. "Come, come, my friend, no rancour now. What
the devil! You wouldn't stand in the girl's way? You can't really blame
her for making this choice? Have you thought what it means to her? Have
you thought that under the protection of such a gentleman there are no
heights which she may not reach? Don't you see the wonderful luck of
it? Surely, if you're fond of her, particularly being of a jealous
temperament, you wouldn't wish it otherwise?"

Andre-Louis looked at him in silence for a long moment. Then he laughed
again. "Oh, you are fantastic," he said. "You are not real." He turned
on his heel and strode