?"

"Why, yes," I said; "I'm pleased enough."

As a matter of fact the word "pleased" seemed rather too simple to sum
up my emotions altogether adequately.

She placed the bag on the floor and sat down on the bed. Then, leaning
her face against the bottom rail, she stared up at me for a moment
without speaking.

"What did the doctor tell you?" she asked at last.

"He told me I could go up to London by the two-five," I said.

"Is that all?"

"Dr. McMurtrie," I reminded her, "is never recklessly communicative."
Then I paused. "Still I should like to know the reason for the change
of programme," I added.

She raised her head and glanced half nervously, half defiantly at the
door.

"We are going to give up this house tomorrow--that's the reason," she
said, speaking low and rather quickly. "Our work here is finished, and
it will be best for us to leave as soon as possible."

"I wish," I said regretfully, "that I inspired just a little more
confidence."

Sonia hesitated. Then she sat up, and with a characteristic gesture of
hers pushed back her hair from her forehead.

"Come here," she said slowly; "come quite close to me."

I walked towards her, wondering at the sudden change in her voice.
As I approached she straightened her arms out each side of her, and
half-closing her eyes, raised her face to mine.

"Kiss me," she said, almost in a whisper; "kiss my lips."

I could hardly have declined such an invitation even if I had wished
to, but as a matter of fact I felt no such prompting. It was over
three years since I had kissed anybody, and with her eyes half-closed
and her breast softly rising and falling, Sonia looked decidedly
attractive. I bent down till my mouth was almost touching hers. Then
with a little sigh she put her arms round my neck, and slowly and
deliberately our lips met.

It was at this exceedingly inopportune moment that Savaroff's guttural
voice came grating up the stairs from the hall below.

"Sonia!" he shouted--"Sonia! Where are you? I want you."

She quietly disengaged her arms, and drawing back, paused for a moment
with her hands on my shoulders.

"Now you understand," she said, looking straight into my eyes. "They
are nothing to me, my father and the doctor--I hate them both. It
is you I am thinking of--you only." She leaned forward and swiftly,
almost fiercely again kissed my mouth. "When the time comes," she
whispered--

"Sonia! Sonia!" Once more Savaroff's voice rose impat