" she said, "could you be ready to leave the hotel and go on
board 'Lorelei'--good gracious, I mean 'Mascotte'!--in a quarter of an
hour?"

I almost thought she must be talking in her sleep.

"Why, Lady MacNairne!" I exclaimed, "it's half-past eleven."

"I know," said she. "All the more reason for haste. I'm not joking.
There's a reason why we ought to be off at once. Of course, 'Mascotte'
is your boat, dear Nell, and it's your trip. But you and Phyllis are so
kind to me always, that I'm sure you'll consent without asking for more
explanations, won't you, when I say that it's for _my_ sake, and to save
a lot of bother."

When Lady MacNairne wants anybody to do anything for her, she makes
herself perfectly irresistible. I don't know at all how, but I only wish
I had the art of doing it. Sometimes she is domineering--if it's a man
to be managed--or even cross; sometimes she is soft as a dove; but
whichever it is, you feel as if streams of magnetic fluid poured out of
the tips of her fingers all over you, and your one anxiety is to do what
she wants you to do, as quickly as possible.

It was like that with Nell and me, now. We said, both together, that we
wouldn't be ten minutes, and we weren't. But in spite of the wild speed
with which we flung together the few things we had unpacked, and in
spite of the fact that we were dressed, except for our hats, while Lady
MacNairne was in her wrapper, she was ready before us.

We were to meet in her room, and just as we arrived, dressing-bags in
hand--for it was not a time of night to ring for porters--Mr. Starr
appeared round a turn of the corridor. He didn't see us at first, but
began to say something to his aunt about a "narrow shave," when he
caught sight of Nell and me inside the open door.

I was on the point of asking him what had become of Sir Alexander
MacNairne, with whom we had left him violently shaking hands, when I
remembered that Lady MacNairne had said he was a "relation of hers by
marriage," so I thought, since there was evidently trouble of some sort
between him and Jonkheer Brederode, I had better not bring up the
subject in her presence. Whatever might be the mysterious reason which
was taking us away like thieves in the night, Mr. Starr had the air of
knowing it--as he naturally would, since Lady MacNairne was his aunt;
but no matter which of the other two men was to blame, I was sure _he_
was innocent. He was as nice and helpful, too, about carrying dow