drawn round her,
a circle that was gradually becoming narrowed. She had begun to know
that she was being incessantly watched. If Emile were occupied with
the business of the Society, and could not fetch her from the
Hippodrome himself, he never failed to send an understudy in the shape
of one of his allies, generally one of the older men. When she emerged
from the performers' entrance a silent figure would come forward to
meet her. Often they exchanged no words throughout the walk home, but
she was never left till her own door was reached.

If she went anywhere to please herself, to a shop, or to see Estelle,
she was expected to give a full account of her doings. It was an
understood thing that she should not go to the _cafes_ or public
gardens alone, nor speak to anyone not already known and approved by
Emile. With all these conditions she had complied. Already one
illusion had vanished. She had thought to find freedom in Barcelona.

She had indeed found "_La Liberte_."

But the Fates had chosen to be in an ironical mood, and while making
the discovery she had herself become a slave. In all her day there was
no hour that she could call her own.

CHAPTER V

"I have gained her! Her Soul's mine!"
BROWNING.

"You slouched last night in the ring, Fatalite," Emile said.

Arithelli flung up her head. "I didn't!"

"You looked like a monkey on a stick," proceeded Emile stolidly. "You
were all hunched up. I wonder Don Juan didn't put you off his back on
to the tan."

"Don Juan knows better! You see animals are usually more kind than
people."

She was too proud to admit that the long hours, hard work, and want of
proper food and sleep had lately given her furious backaches, which
were a thing unknown to her before, and a cause of bitter resentment.
She had a healthy distaste for illness either in theory or practice.
That night she sat Don Juan erect as a lance, passing Emile in his
accustomed place in the lower tier of seats with a shrug and scornful
eyebrows.

She had felt more than usually inclined to play the coward during the
last few weeks. The heat, worry and over-fatigue had begun, as they
must have done eventually, to affect her nerves. When she had felt
more than usually depressed and listless Emile had taken her to one of
the _cafes_ and given her _absinthe_ which had made her feel recklessly
well for the moment, and ten times more miserable the next day. He had
al