ther her into his arms
and comfort her, took possession of Verdayne. But great as his desire
was, he forced it down, recognizing that the moment had not come for
him to intervene.

Presently the sombre man moved closer to Mademoiselle Vseslavitch's
side, and, putting out a gloved hand, touched her lightly, and with
the air of one offering silent sympathy, on the shoulder.

Paul heard him murmuring what must have been words of comfort, and
before long she lifted her face and resolutely wiped away her tears.
Then she rose and went forward to the altar, on the steps of which she
knelt and prayed. Finally she came back to the black-bearded man and
held out her hand, and Paul saw with still growing wonder that the man
bent over it as though with great respect and brushed her fingers with
his lips. Without any further word she walked quickly and quietly
away, making for the door through which she had entered the cathedral.

The man, with a little sigh, picked up his hat and followed her, Paul
hard upon his heels.

Outside in the sunshine, Verdayne watched the fair Russian make across
the square by the way which she had come. Her companion turned
abruptly to the right and walked rapidly away.

Paul followed her till she came to the _Hotel de la Republique_, when
she disappeared through the doorway.

* * * * *

Darkness fell and Paul saw no more of his beautiful Russian. In spite
of all his efforts she still remained as great a mystery as ever.
Almost beside himself with impatience, he returned to the hotel. Many
wild, almost boyish, schemes, by which he hoped he could meet the lady
entered his head. Most of them Paul rejected--and none of them could
be put into execution, for the one responsible for their conception
remained hid in the little _hotel_.

Considerably at odds with the world, he went in to dinner, the
excellence of which did not dispel his gloom.

"Confounded silly, this!" he complained to himself. "Here I am, a
lonely knight, eating a marvelously good dinner in enforced solitude,
with a beautiful lady imprisoned in the upper rooms of the castle. In
the rare old days I could go up and knock the jailers' heads
together, break in the door, and bear the captive damsel away on my
charger. But in this unromantic age I can't even send in my card."

CHAPTER X

All unconscious of Paul's presence only a few short steps away
Mademoiselle Natalie Vseslavitch, for so we wil