e it."

"Oh, but please, Claire, please explain. I do not understand, not in
the least. What am I to do? I haven't heard, I do not know."

"Go on to Fuentellato with the dummy. It is the easiest thing in the
world. They will follow you, Colonel Annesley will see to that, while
I carry our darling to some secure hiding-place and keep out of sight
until we can meet. There, do not, for heaven's sake, delay. Give me
the child."

"I can't, I can't. I will not part with it. My own, my precious babe.
Never. Nothing will induce me."

"Upon my word, Henriette, you are too aggravating and impossible. To
think that now at the eleventh hour you should fail me and break down.
Are you going to spoil everything! Let me take little Ralph;" and I
put out my arms for the child, which Victorine held.

But the mother stood between us, seized the baby convulsively, and
with a gesture of repulsion cried:

"Go away, go away, you shall not have him. I don't care what happens,
I will keep him against all the world."

I pleaded and stormed in turn, I tried everything but force, all
without avail. My foolish sister seemed to have taken leave of her
senses; she thought nothing of the nearly certain collapse of our
schemes, her one overmastering idea was, like any tigress, to resist
all attempts to deprive her of her cub.

Meanwhile the time ran on. Already the officials were crying "_En
voiture_," and I knew my train was timed to leave at five minutes past
8 A.M. If I lingered I should lose it, no great matter perhaps, seeing
that the exchange, my principal object, had not been made; but if I
remained with Henriette, she with her baby and I with mine, the whole
of the artifice might at any moment be laid bare.

I had to decide then and there, and all I could think of at the time
was to keep the enemy in the dark as to the doubled part of the baby.
At first I thought of sending Philpotts on alone with her charge and
remaining with Henriette. She was so helpless, so weak and vacillating
that I had small hope of her getting through to Fuentellato by
herself. That was clearly the wisest course, and I should have taken
it, but I was sorely vexed and put out by her obstinate refusal to
play her part; and I told her so.

"Once more and for the last time, Henriette, will you do what I want?"
I asked her peremptorily.

She only hugged her baby the closer and whispered a soft lullaby.

"Then I shall go on with the other. It may be best. They