when I have been there. I
believe she is allowed frivolities but once a fortnight. Perhaps--" But
before she finished a maid entered with Madame de Nemours' card. "You
can ask for yourself," Anne explained, glancing at the card. "Here is
the Countess in person."

It had grown dark in the room, and Frank stood in the shadow as he was
presented to the Countess, who had come with the hope of meeting him,
for Katrine's sudden resolve to go to Fontainebleau had not deceived her
at all. By that process of seemingly illogical reasoning by which women
arrive accurately at facts, she had come to the conclusion that Katrine
had gone away to avoid meeting either Anne Lennox or this Mr. Ravenel,
and a far less brilliant woman than Madame de Nemours would have
suspected Frank of being the man who had caused Katrine such pain in the
past. That she had lived on his plantation, and that there must have
been many opportunities for them to have been constantly together,
unnoted in a place twenty miles from any dwelling, made the thing doubly
sure. And so Madame de Nemours, by reason of her intuitions, met
Francis Ravenel upon the defensive for this girl whom she had learned to
love so deeply.

"I am in despair," the Countess said, after the greetings had been
exchanged. "Here am I giving a dinner to distinguished Americans," this
with a little complimentary gesture toward both of them, "on Friday, and
Katrine Dulany ordered off to Fontainebleau by that terrible Josef. 'You
are not well!' said he. 'Go on such a day, on such a train, to such a
place! Say this! Think this! Imagine this!' And the poor child went off
yesterday for a month to Fontainebleau, afraid to disobey. Do you know,
I am thinking," she went on, "of adopting this strange child, Katrine,
legally, just to circumvent Josef? For that, and other reasons," she
explained, laughing, "I am so sorry you are not to meet her, Mr.
Ravenel."

"I have met Miss Dulany frequently," Frank answered. "In Carolina, three
years ago. Every one there was interested in her voice."

"Yes," the Countess answered, "it will be like that always with her. If
I tell you something," she said, the light dancing in her eyes as she
spoke, "will you be very discreet about it? I am thinking of marrying
Katrine to my nephew, the Duc de Launay. He doesn't know it, being in
Africa, but I am determined to be firm with both. Think of those
splendid, great ways of hers! She should have been a duchess in the
M