tch the Rome-Paris express.

Was it all a trap? I wondered. What had occurred? I dared not ask her
anything, while she, on her part, preserved an absolute silence. Her
only fear seemed lest she lost her train. That something had occurred
was very evident, but of its nature I still remained in entire
ignorance, even when, a short distance from the great echoing station, I
dropped the _chic_ little maid with whom I had for the past three weeks
pretended to be so violently in love.

On getting down she told me to await her. She would be only a few
minutes. This surprised me, as I thought she was leaving for Paris.

She hurried away, and as I watched her going down the road towards the
station I saw the dark figure of a man emerge from the shadow and join
her. For a moment he became silhouetted against the station lights, and
I recognised that it was her mysterious friend.

Five minutes later she rejoined me. Then, on turning back, I was forced
to remain at the level crossing until the Paris express, with its long
_wagon-lit_, had roared past, and afterwards I put on a move, and we
were soon back in Leghorn. She did not return to the hotel with me, but
at her request I dropped her just before we entered the town.

Morning revealed the startling truth. Three women, occupying adjacent
rooms, had lost the greater part of their valuable jewels which they
had had sent from home on purpose to wear at the ball. The police
were ferreting about the hotel, questioning everybody. There was
commotion everywhere, and loud among those expressing amazement at the
audaciousness of the thief were both Bindo and Her Highness, the latter
declaring herself lucky that no attempt had been made to secure any of
her own valuable jewels.

At noon I took her for a run on the car, in order to have an opportunity
to chat. When we were alone on the road she said--

"You entertained a foolish but quite reasonable suspicion of Rosalie.
She and Kampf, the man you saw her with, always work together. They
indeed suggested this present little affair, for they knew that Italian
women bring lots of jewellery here, in order to show it off. Besides,
hotels are their speciality. So there seemed to Bindo no reason why we
should not have a little of the best of it. The diamond necklace of the
Signora Jacobi is well known to be one of the finest in all Italy;
therefore, on several occasions, I lent her Rosalie for hair-dressing,
and she, clever girl, very soo