red not. I couldn't decide. Now he writes to me, and he's
making a cypher, so that if the letters should be intercepted, no one
could read them. Then he hopes to arrange a way of escape if--if I say
I'll do what he asks."

"Which, of course, you won't," broke in Victoria. "You couldn't, even
though it were only for his sake alone, if you really love him. You'd be
too unhappy afterwards, knowing that you'd ruined his career in the
army."

"I'm more to him than a thousand careers!" Saidee flung herself away
from the girl's arm. "I see now," she went on angrily, "what you were
leading up to, when you pretended to sympathize. You were waiting for a
chance to try and persuade me that I'm a selfish wretch. I may be
selfish, but--it's as much for his happiness as mine. It's just as I
thought it would be. You're puritanical. You'd rather see me die, or go
mad in this prison, than have me do a thing that's unconventional,
according to your schoolgirl ideas."

"I came to take you out of prison," said Victoria.

"And you fell into it yourself!" Saidee retorted quickly. "You broke the
spring of the door, and it will be harder than ever to open. But"--her
voice changed from reproach to persuasion--"Honore might save us both.
If only you wouldn't try to stop my going with him, you might go too.
Then you wouldn't have to marry Maieddine. There's a chance--just a
chance. For heaven's sake do all you can to help, not to hinder. Don't
you see, now that you're here, there are a hundred more reasons why I
must say 'yes' to Captain Sabine?"

"If I did see that, I'd want to die now, this minute," Victoria
answered.

"How cruel you are! How cruel a girl can be to a woman. You pretend that
you came to help me, and the one only thing you can do, you refuse to
do. You say you want to get me away. I tell you that you can't--and you
can't get yourself away. Perhaps Honore can do what you can't, but
you'll try to prevent him."

"If I _could_ get you away, would you give him up--until you were free
to go to him without spoiling both your lives?"

"What do you mean?" Saidee asked.

"Please answer my question."

Saidee thought for a moment. "Yes. I would do that. But what's the use
of talking about it? You! A poor little mouse caught in a trap!"

"A mouse once gnawed a net, and set free a whole lion," said Victoria.
"Give me a chance to think, that's all I ask, except--except--that you
love me meanwhile. Oh, darling, don't be angry, will