trouble among the
graces!"--Alice's plaintiveness had actually caught a very rich neutral
who was forwarding philanthropic schemes for great ladies--and she hoped
soon to wed.

Coralie seemed in the most secure and happy case, since she is already
established, and can enjoy herself without anxiety.--Maurice hinted that
but for her _beguin_ for me, she could land the English peer, and
divorce poor Rene--her docile war husband--and become an English
Countess!

"Thou hast upset everything, Nicholas. Duquesnois is desolated--Coralie
changed directly she saw you here--he says--and then to divert herself
and forget you, took Lord Brockelbank from Odette!"

"_Vieux coquin! Va!_" and Maurice patted me on the back--.

They were enchanted with my presents to them lately, he added, and were
all longing to return to Paris soon and thank me.

The war was simply growing into a nuisance and the quicker it was over
the better for everyone.(!)

Then he beat about the bush for a little longer and at last began to
grow nearer the vital subject!--

He had seen some of my Mont Aubin relations--fortunately for me, they
have been far from Paris in this last year--and they had anxiously asked
him if I thought of, marrying?--What in fact _was_ I doing with myself
now that my wounds were healing?

I laughed--.

"I am so glad my mother was an only child and they are none of them near
enough to have the right to bore me--they had better continue their good
works at Biarritz--I am told my cousin Marguerite's convalescent home is
a marvel! I have sent her frequent donations."

Then Maurice plunged in--.

"You are not--becoming entangled in any way with your secretary, are you
_Mon ami_?" he asked.

I had decided beforehand that I would not get angry at anything he
said--so I was ready for this.

"No, Maurice--" and I poured out a second glass of port for him--Burton
had left us alone by now--. "Miss Sharp does not know that I exist--she
is simply here to do her work, and is the best secretary any man could
want--I knew Coralie would infect you with some silly idea."

Maurice sipped his port.--"Coralie said that in spite of the girl's
glasses there was some air of distinction about her--as she walked
on--and that she _knew_ and _felt_ you were interested."

I remained undisturbed.

"I am, immensely interested--I want to know who she really is. She is a
lady--even a lady of our world.--I mean she knows about things in
England--w