ork at all. Where
are we? I demand the truth."

Louis Hamblin saw that he could deceive her no longer; he had not
supposed he could keep the truth from her as long as he had.

"We are in Havana, Cuba," he braced himself to reply, with some
appearance of composure, which he was far from feeling.

"Havana!--Cuba!" cried Mona, breathlessly. "Ah! that explains the foreign
language--and I do not know Spanish." Then facing him again with an air
and look that made him cower, in spite of his bravado, she sternly asked:
"Why are we here?"

"We are here in accordance with Mrs. Montague's plans," he answered.

"Mrs. Montague had no right to bring me here without consulting me," the
young girl returned, passionately. "Where is Mrs. Montague?"

"I expect that Aunt Marg is in New York by this time," Louis Hamblin now
boldly asserted.

"What?" almost shrieked Mona, smitten to the heart with terror at this
intelligence. "Oh! you cannot mean to tell me that you and I have come to
Havana alone! That--that--"

A hot blush mounted to her forehead, and for a moment she was utterly
overcome with shame and horror over the terrible situation.

"Yes, that is just what we have done," Louis returned, a desperate gleam
coming into his eyes, for he began to realize that he had no weak spirit
to deal with.

There was a prolonged and ominous silence after this admission, while
Mona tried to rally her sinking spirits and think of some plan of escape
from her dreadful position.

When she did speak again she was white to her lips, but in her eyes there
shone a resolute purpose which plainly indicated that she would never
tamely submit to the will of the man before her.

"How have you dared to do this thing?" she demanded, but so quietly that
he regarded her in astonishment.

"I have dared because I was bound to win you, Mona, and there seemed no
other way," he returned, in a passionate tone.

"And did you imagine for one moment that you could accomplish your
purpose by decoying me into a strange country?"

"Yes; but, Mona--"

"Then you have yet to learn that you have made a great mistake," was the
haughty rejoinder. "It is true that I am comparatively helpless in not
being able to understand the language here; but there are surely people
in Havana--there must even be some one in this hotel--who can speak
either French or German, if not English, and to whom I shall appeal for
protection."

"That will do you little good," retorted Lo