ladness in my own heart at her impulsive speech. "Possibly this is a
mere passing whim, an idle fancy; he may yet emerge from the craze
purified by trial."

She looked hard at me, as if seeking to penetrate the flimsy mask I
wore, and I beheld a pride in her uplifted face such as had never been
visible there before.

"Such might be the way with some women," she returned firmly. "I am of
a race to whom honor is everything. My father gave his life for no
less, and I hold him right in his choice. I may forgive much of
wrong--ay! have forgiven--yet the stain of dishonor now rests upon the
proud name I bear, and that can never be forgiven. Whether in New
Orleans, or the heart of this wilderness, I am still Eloise Lafreniere,
the daughter of a gentleman of France. I would die by the torture of
these savages before I would surrender the honor due my race."

There was that in her proud speech silencing my tongue from further
expostulation, even had I believed De Noyan deserved a defender. He
had deliberately chosen his path, now let him follow it; any man who
would thus lightly tread on the heart of such a woman was clearly
outside the radius of human sympathy, deserving to be. Certainly I
felt no call to stand between him and his fate.

"I may not comprehend the claims of family pride, Madame," I responded
finally, for want of something better. "Of that I know little. Yet I
cannot contend that your decision is wrong. However, let us talk of
other things, permitting this disagreement to adjust itself. You have
not stated how I am to escape from this present predicament. It surely
looks a problem not easily solved."

"Nor is it clear even in my mind," she admitted, evidently relieved by
the change of topic, "because I do not know the ending of a certain
passage underground. Yet I have a plan. Behind the curtain, yonder, a
concealed opening leads downward into an underground gallery. I have
ventured to explore it for only a brief distance, but trust it may end
under the open sky. At least our only hope is that you may discover
some such ending. If not, you can only return to me, and we wilt seek
other means for escape, if, indeed, there are any."

"I am to understand you do not flee with me?"

She shook her head gravely, her cheeks flushed, her dark eyes lowered.

"No; I deem such move not best after those words the Queen spoke to you
last night," she answered simply. "Besides, our best efforts at escap