what you had thrown overboard--do you remember how
you kept silent and never even glanced my way?"

"No," I groaned, "I don't; but I remember our trip to Paris. I remember
marching you into the wagon-restaurant like a hand-cuffed criminal, and
sitting you down at a table, and bullying you like a Russian czar. I
gave you three days to leave France. Have you forgotten? I haven't. The
one thing I omitted--and I don't see how I missed it--was to call the
gendarmes there at Modane and denounce you to them. It's more than kind
of you to glide over my imbecilities; I appreciate it. But when I
think of that evening I want a nice, deep, dark dungeon, somewhere
underground, to hide."

"I think," she murmured consolingly, "that you made amends to me later."
Her face was averted, but I could see a distracting dimple in her
cheek. "You mustn't forget that I haven't been perfect, either. When
you followed me to Bleau, and I came down the stairs and saw you, I
misunderstood the situation entirely and was as unpleasant as I could
be."

"Naturally," I acquiesced with dark meaning. "How could you have
understood it? How could any human being have fathomed the mental
processes that sent me there? I only wonder that instead of giving
me what-for, you didn't murder me. Any United States jury would have
acquitted you with the highest praise."

She turned upon me, flushed and spirited.

"Mr. Bayne, you are incorrigible! Why will you insist on belittling
everything that you have done? I suppose you will claim next that you
didn't risk imprisonment or death every minute of a whole day, just to
help me, and that at Prezelay you didn't fight like a--a--yes, like a
paladin!--to save me from being tortured by Herr von Blenheim and his
men!"

I started up and then sank back.

"As a special favor," I begged her, "would you mind not mentioning that
last phase of the affair? When you do, I go berserker; I'm a crazy
man, seeing red; I'm honestly not responsible. It was when our friend
Blenheim developed those plans of his that I swore in my soul I'd get
him; and I thank the Lord that I did and that he'll never trouble you or
any other woman again.

"Still, Miss Falconer, what does all that amount to? Any man would have
helped you, wouldn't he? A nice sort of fellow I should have been to
do any less! Whereas for a girl like you I ought to have accomplished
miracles. I ought to have made the sun stop moving, or got you the stars
to play with, o