AT THE 
 
 !A
 
 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 8F 
 
 CALIF. LIBRARY. LOS ANGELA
 
 NOVELS BY 
 
 MRS. BAILLIE REYNOLDS 
 
 The Affair at the Ch&teau 
 
 Accessory after the Fact 
 
 The Gift in the Gauntlet 
 
 The Spell of Sarnia 
 
 His Second Venture 
 
 The Lost Discovery 
 
 Phcebe in Fetters 
 
 A Makeshift Marriage 
 
 A Doubtful Character 
 
 The Notorious Miss Lisle 
 
 The Girl from Nowhere 
 
 Broken Off 
 
 The Cost of a Promise 
 
 Out of the Night 
 
 HODDER AND 
 
 STOUGHTON 
 
 LTD., LONDON
 
 BY 
 
 MRS. BAILLIE REYNOLDS 
 
 HODDER AND STOUGHTON 
 
 LIMITED LONDON
 
 Made and Printed in Great Britain for Hodder and Stoughton Limited, by 
 Wyman & Sons Ltd., London, Reading and Fakenham
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 THE INVITATION 
 VERB'S GREAT A 
 GILLES RAUMONT 
 A NERVE CASE 
 LORD BILLIE 
 THE CASTLE ' 
 THE FIRST A: 
 A SERMON 
 LADY BILLIE 
 UNCLE LOO 
 A TELEGRAM 
 THE KING 
 VERB TURNS 
 GILLES BREA1 
 THE BOMB FALLS 
 THE NEWS SPR 
 NO LIVES LOST 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 PACK 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 44 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 88 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 V. 
 
 - 137 
 
 2132393
 
 LEFT ALONE 
 THE FALSI 
 THE SECOJ 
 THE TRAP 
 VERE RE: 
 WHERE I! 
 THE TOW 
 AT GRIPS 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 PAGE 
 
 WITH DANGER 
 
 143 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 
 EXPERIMENT 
 
 15* 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 
 ET CAVERN 
 
 161 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 
 VAKENING 
 
 169 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 
 'SPECTS 
 
 '74 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 
 LAN 
 
 182 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 
 A.S NED 
 
 19 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 
 SEATED 
 
 198 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 
 E HOME 
 
 - 2IO 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 
 ME 
 
 - 210 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 
 E MESSAGE 
 
 . 225 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 
 SID ATTEMPT 
 
 232 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 
 
 241 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 
 URNS 
 
 249 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 
 NED ? 
 
 258 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 
 iR ROOM 
 
 265 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 
 IE CELLARS 
 
 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 
 LIUMPHS 
 
 288 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII 
 
 
 .PITULATES 
 
 298
 
 CHAPTER I THE INVITATION 
 
 VERONA MERTON or Vere as her friends called her 
 was nearly twenty years old when the invitation 
 arrived. 
 
 She had, in current phrase, finished her education. 
 
 Hayneslop, one of the larger public schools for girls, 
 had turned her out strictly on the regulation pattern. 
 That is to say, she had no manners and very little 
 learning ; was good at games, self-possessed, self- 
 confident, and wholly lacking in reverence. She 
 called her father " old bean " and her stepmother 
 " Phyl." She disliked all domestic duties and her 
 only aim was to enjoy life, at least up to the limit 
 inexorably fixed by small means and residence in a 
 distant suburb. 
 
 When the post came, she had been playing tennis 
 with Gerda Lawson, formerly her school-friend, in 
 the back-garden, which was just large enough to hold 
 the court, but not to allow the nurse to exercise the 
 babies therein while a game was in progress. 
 
 The weather was uncertain, and Phyl had been 
 aggrieved at having to send nurse and the twins out 
 for a walk when it threatened rain. However, she 
 provided tea under the veranda for the two girls, who 
 had just sat down to drink it when the afternoon 
 letters were brought out. 
 
 " Hallo ! Who's writing to me from Haute- 
 Savoie ? " cried Vere with suddenly kindled interest 
 as her eye fell on the postmark.
 
 8 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Take my tip, Merton open it and find out," said 
 Gerda, speaking from that corner of her mouth which 
 was not holding her gasper, " or wait a sec., let's have 
 a penny on it ! I bet it's from a mysterious unknown 
 who wants you to copy out a prayer nine times and 
 send it to nine friends." 
 
 " More likely it's from those people in Annecy who 
 sell aluminium saucepans," put in Mrs. Merton with 
 unusual relevance. " Offering a discount if you buy 
 a dozen and a free saucepan if you induce a friend to 
 buy." 
 
 " Done. Bet you both it's neither," said Vere as 
 she broke open the envelope, and stared at a sheet of 
 good quality paper with a stamped heading. 
 
 Chateau d'Almier, 
 
 Sannetier-aux-Erables, 
 
 Haute Savoie. 
 
 " I win ! It's from my godmother, Great-aunt la 
 Baronne d'Almier! . . . Odd, that she should start 
 writing to me ! Never did before, to my knowledge." 
 
 " Well, she wrote quite lately to your father," 
 admitted Mrs. Merton surprisingly. 
 
 " Cunning old bean ! He never told me ! What 
 did she say to him ? " 
 
 " She wanted to know about you what kind of a 
 girl you had grown up. It was that day you had 
 annoyed your father so, coming home with Bennie 
 Bowes at five o'clock in the morning and throwing 
 gravel up at the window. She asked for your photo, 
 and he sent it, but I'm afraid he didn't speak very 
 highly of you. Does she write to scold you ? " 
 
 " Far, far from it ! Oh, glorious great-aunt la 
 Baronne ! She offers me the chance of my life ! 
 Listen "
 
 THEINVITATION 9 
 
 My dear great-niece Verona, 
 
 I heard lately from your excellent but most British 
 father, and from his reply I gather two facts. One is 
 that you have a spice of the devil in you, and the other 
 that, since he has a new wife and two little boys, it 
 would not break his paternal heart to part with you 
 for awhile or even permanently. 
 
 I am not as young as I was, and I go less and less 
 to Paris. This ancient chateau is sometimes lonely, 
 though I have a good many visitors. Will you come 
 and stay with me here for a couple of months, to see 
 how we get on together ? 
 
 If you will, I will make you an allowance for pocket- 
 money as if you were my daughter, and you need not 
 think you would be buried alive, for we are not at all 
 far from Geneva where, as you know, there are shops, 
 theatres and all kinds of amusements. 
 
 Everything must of course depend upon how we suit 
 each other. I loved your mother, and your picture 
 shows me that you resemble her in face. I hear you 
 have had a first-rate education, so I expect you speak 
 French well. Very little English is spoken here- 
 abouts ..." 
 
 " H'm ! That's the snag ! I thought there must 
 be one somewhere/' groaned Vere. " Wish I hadn't 
 made it a point of honour always to be at the bottom 
 of the French class. But I did so hate old Made- 
 moiselle." 
 
 " You'll soon pick it up," grunted Gerda enviously. 
 " Well ! Some folks have all the luck ! " 
 
 " Sounds a bit of all right, doesn't it ? " gloated 
 Vere. " And I don't suppose Dad and Phyl will 
 break their hearts over the parting." 
 
 " If your father lets you go " began Mrs. Merton.
 
 10 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Let's me go ? Pray how can he stop me ? " 
 
 cried Vere belligerently. 
 
 " It will cost something to send you there." 
 
 " Well ! Mother left me 500 " 
 
 " Which you can't touch till you're twenty-one," 
 pursued the meek, inexorable voice, " but I expect 
 Frank would advance you something." 
 
 Vere made no reply. She knew she could bully her 
 father, so had no anxiety in that respect. Her mind 
 had flown forward on its journey, and her eyes saw 
 not the vista of villa gardens, party-walls and back- 
 premises, but all the kingdoms of the earth and the 
 glory of them. 
 
 Vere Merton was not admired hi Mitchingham. 
 Her very fair hair was thought to clash with her 
 magnificent Italian eyes, a startling contrast for 
 which her narrow golden eyebrows did not prepare 
 the way. Those profound eyes were the thing you 
 had to look at when you looked at her, as in a Van Dyck 
 portrait. As in those portraits also, her cheeks were 
 pale, and produced the further contrast of lips too red, 
 though her mouth was neither large nor sensuous, but 
 rather elfin in character. 
 
 As a young man, Frank Merton had been sent to 
 manage a branch of a banking concern in the Italian 
 city of Verona. There he became acquainted with 
 the family of an Austrian banker named Kornwest, 
 who had married an Italian wife. Merton was young 
 and romantic. He fell deeply in love with Margharita 
 Kornwest, the banker's daughter, and married her. 
 Shortly after this marriage he was recalled to England, 
 in which bleak climate their little daughter first saw 
 the light, and was called Verona in memory of their 
 wooing. England did not suit Mrs. Merton's health 
 and she never succeeded in acquiring a taste for
 
 THE INVITATION II 
 
 English people or English customs. She was never well 
 after Vere's birth, and remained an invalid until 
 her death, which occurred when her daughter was 
 fifteen. 
 
 Merton, having been to all intents and purposes 
 a widower for years, very pardonably married 
 again. 
 
 The event did not make for domestic harmony. 
 Vere had been a spoilt only child too long to suffer 
 gladly the supplanting of herself in her father's heart. 
 Still harder was it when the babies arrived. 
 
 Phyl might be all very well for an old stager like 
 Dad, but in Vere's judgment she was both stupid and 
 irritating. They did not quarrel, but Phyl, who was 
 what is known as a " clinger " and apt to be tearful 
 if snubbed, was miserably conscious of the girl's 
 attitude of cool contempt. 
 
 In fact, they had all three reached the stage when 
 it began to be evident that things could not go on as 
 they were. 
 
 The foreign aunt's invitation was like a life-line to 
 Vere. Her practical common sense, inherited per- 
 haps from her Kornwest grandfather, and far greater 
 than that of her father, caused her to take the offer 
 hi a sober spirit. She guessed that living in France 
 with an elderly lady of different traditions and nation- 
 ality might be difficult and would almost certainly be 
 dull. It might be that she would find herself in the 
 position of an underpaid companion, obliged to do as 
 she was told. But at least it meant going out into 
 the world, trying her wings, seeing a foreign country. 
 She hated Mitchingham and was out of sympathy 
 with its inhabitants. 
 
 Frank Merton said that he remembered the Baronne 
 d'Almier well. She was a Miss Kornwest, the only
 
 12 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 sister of Vere's grandfather, but many years younger 
 than he. She was not an old woman ; could not 
 (he thought) be much over fifty at the present time. 
 In the days when he was courting Vere's mother, 
 Aunt Diane had lived with her brother, and he be- 
 lieved that she was then already a widow. 
 
 The young Englishman had not liked her. He said 
 she was an odd woman ; "a spiritualist or something 
 funny " was the way he put it. " Your grandfather 
 and she quarrelled a good deal," he told Vere. " I 
 always understood that he felt bound to give her a 
 home because she had no means. I see she still calls 
 herself Baronne d'Almier, but I imagine she must have 
 married again." 
 
 " Oh, that is so sad," murmured Phyl, her eyes 
 fixed adoringly upon her Frank. " Fancy having to 
 marry again for money ! But perhaps she did not 
 really love her first husband. ..." 
 
 " Phyl," said her stepdaughter scornfully, " You 
 are simply too sloppy for words " ; and was testily 
 reproved by her father, who caressed the sentiment- 
 alist. 
 
 He had always some sense of discomfort respecting 
 the financial situation between himself and his daugh- 
 ter, since he had no private means and only a life 
 interest in his late wife's money. If he died, Phyl and 
 the twins would be very badly off ; dependent, in fact, 
 upon Vere's bounty. 
 
 In these circumstances he could hardly make ob- 
 jection to advancing to Vere a small sum from the 
 money her mother had wished (perhaps in antici- 
 pation of a successor) should be paid over to her 
 daughter upon her coming of age. 
 
 The war had ruined the Kornwests, and the old man 
 was since dead. Nothing more was to be expected
 
 VERB'S GREAT AUNT 13 
 
 from that side of the family ; but if Diane d'Almier 
 had somehow acquired money, Frank Merton was 
 most willing that Vere should enjoy some of it. 
 
 CHAPTER ii VERB'S GREAT AUNT 
 
 EARLY June is the perfect time in the French Alps ; 
 but if you go thither in September, you do at least 
 behold in all their beauty the maple trees which have 
 given their name to the village of Sannetier-aux- 
 Erables. 
 
 On leaving the train from Paris, in the wide upland 
 valley, one drives up a mountain road, doubling 
 violently on itself, which looks in autumn as though 
 it had burst into flame. The fierce scarlet, the 
 radiant yellow, against the blue-black of the change- 
 less firs, gives the impression of an enchanted garden. 
 
 Vere arrived at Croix-Lucie, the junction at which 
 she had been informed that she would be met, about 
 breakfast time ; and all the valley was sheeted in 
 white mist. 
 
 A powerfully built, somewhat villainous looking 
 man, in a shabby uniform and flat cap, ambled up 
 to her. 
 
 " Mademoiselle Merton ? Bon ! L'auto de Madame 
 la Baronne vous attend." 
 
 This was just as it should be. Vere glanced around 
 her in eager anticipation. Like most English girls, 
 she had succeeded in turning out fresh and trim, 
 though she had travelled second class and without a 
 sleeper. 
 
 The chauffeur collected her small parcels, remarked 
 that it might be that one would have to wait a little
 
 14 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 quarter of an hour before the bagage enregistre ma- 
 terialised, and recommended rolls and coffee at the 
 buffet. Even this odd breakfast was interesting and 
 delightful to the girl who had always sat down to 
 porridge, bacon and marmalade. She found the hot 
 coffee stimulating, the rolls and honey delicious. 
 
 When the chauffeur, in his leisurely way, collected 
 her and her handbags, she asked how far they had to 
 go ; feeling rather proud that she understood the man 
 better than she had feared. Not very far, he told 
 her, eight or ten kilometres. " That's about seven 
 miles," she said to herself, " so the chateau is some 
 distance from a railway ! " 
 
 At first, as they swept around hairpin bends, only 
 the objects quite near were discernible ; but as they 
 mounted the mist grew thinner, till by degrees the 
 sunshine filtered through it, and before long the full 
 beauty of the day shone out and she saw the moun- 
 tain-side glowing as with a conflagration. Her luggage 
 had been bestowed behind, and she was seated next 
 the driver. To their right was the steep hill which 
 they were fast ascending, to their left, across a valley 
 she descried something far and glittering, something 
 like a vision of the heavenly mountains. The man 
 lifted his hand and said, almost reverently," Le Mont 
 Blanc." 
 
 Modern though she was, and cut out to pattern as 
 she was, the Italian blood stirred in Vere as that 
 wonderful sight broke upon her. Something tugged 
 at her heartstrings a wave of emotion which she 
 resented yet enjoyed. 
 
 " Whatever happens to me here," she told herself, 
 " it will be worth while to have come, just for that 
 just for that ! " 
 
 At the village of Sannetier-Bas they turned their
 
 VERE'S GREAT AUNT 15 
 
 back upon the majesty of the peaks and ran along a 
 good and almost level road with a mountain on either 
 side. The chauffeur waved his hand to the left, 
 " La grande Louve ! " to the right " La petite Louve ! " 
 
 He then told her that the Chateau d'Almier lay in 
 the throat of the Little She- Wolf. The word " gueule " 
 was not familiar to her, but with her usual quickness 
 she learned it instantly. He added that he had been 
 told by the natives that within living memory the 
 wolves still lurked in the thick woods on the heights, 
 and would come down in winter when they were hungry. 
 
 Thus talking they swept through the village of 
 Sannetier-aux-Erables, turned to the right at the 
 little Place in the shadow of the church, ran in be- 
 tween the two Louves, which here approached one 
 another, and began to ascend once more by a wriggly 
 hairpin-bend road. Then suddenly round a corner 
 Vere saw a pair of stone gate-posts on the left, almost 
 overhung by the rugged heights on the right of the 
 narrow road. The car ran through this gateway and 
 drew up on a small level space before what was left 
 of the mediaeval fortress of d'Almier. 
 
 It lay niched on the very lip of the precipice, the 
 mountain towering above and falling away below 
 almost vertically. 
 
 Beneath in the plain the light caught the waters 
 of Lac Leman ; and away to the west lay the long 
 line of the Jura. 
 
 The building itself was not impressive, the watch- 
 tower being almost the only surviving portion of the 
 original elevation ; but its door was flung hos- 
 pitably open, and on the rough stone steps stood a 
 lady. 
 
 Vere sprang out of the car and ran towards her 
 with the frank abandon of the modern girl, who feels
 
 l6 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 herself equal to anybody and anything. At school, 
 as at home, she had been a leader. Even her teachers 
 had yielded to her attractive and dominant personality; 
 but, in the moments which elapsed between her setting 
 foot on the shingle of the terrace and running up the 
 steps, she knew in some indescribable way that at last 
 she had met her match. 
 
 One would not have guessed Diane d'Almier to be 
 more than forty years old. Her figure was slim, yet 
 rounded, and she carried herself noticeably well. 
 Her black hair had not a grey thread in it. She wore 
 it brushed straight back from her forehead, and curved 
 low over her ears, where hung long pendants of green 
 jade. Her cheek-bones were faintly touched with 
 rouge, but she did not look " made-up." She was a 
 grande dame without dispute ; and there seemed to 
 Vere to be a subtle compliment in the eagerness with 
 which she was awaiting her guest rather as if her 
 goddaughter were a parcel which she was longing to 
 open. 
 
 Yet in the fraction of time before she spoke, the 
 word " formidable " leapt to the girl's mind, and she 
 felt uneasy without knowing why. 
 
 " Welcome, my child," said a warm, rich voice. 
 "I am your marraine your Tante Diane! " She 
 drew Vere towards her, looked earnestly into her 
 eyes and then kissed her with warmth. " Your 
 mother was a lovely thing, and you resemble her 
 I do not feel that you are a stranger, little Anglaise ! 
 I feel sure you will be happy here ! " 
 
 With the words, she turned to someone who, as 
 Vere then perceived, was standing in the dark hall 
 not far behind her. 
 
 " Gilles," said she, " this is my great-niece, Verona 
 Merton. Verona, this is my good friend and doctor
 
 VERB'S GREAT AUNT 17 
 
 Monsieur Raumont, who is kind enough to give me a 
 great deal of his valuable time." 
 
 The man as he came forward made a foreign bow, 
 but also extended his hand, English fashion, to the 
 new arrival. As with the Baronne, it was difficult 
 to judge his age, but Vere guessed him to be under 
 forty. His hair was clipped more closely than is 
 usual with Englishmen, and he wore a well-trimmed 
 pointed beard and moustache somewhat tawny in 
 colour. 
 
 His eyes were like a cat's eyes no, not a cat some 
 wild animal which Vere had seen in the Zoo pale 
 milky grey with spots of yellow in them. 
 
 Often, in after days, the girl used to try and recall 
 her first impression of Gilles Raumont. Certainly 
 there was fear in it ; the same kind of fear which the 
 Baronne inspired ; fear of being mastered ; but also 
 there was a sex appeal something that implied a 
 different kind of mastery, far more disturbing. For 
 a moment she felt like one breathless with running, 
 caught at a moment when resistance is out of the 
 question. Almost instantly after, his quiet cordial 
 voice was making her think herself an utter fool. 
 
 He spoke English well, though with an American 
 accent. His tongue was gay and light and he asked 
 about her journey and so on with courtesy and judg- 
 ment. As the Baronne wound her arm about her 
 great-niece's waist and led her up the black old stair, 
 the shock of the first meeting with these two people 
 was already disappearing. 
 
 Upstairs the passages were dark and narrow. The 
 Baronne was apologetic about it. " For a good many 
 years the d'Almiers could not afford to live here," she 
 explained, " and it was turned into an hotel, but not 
 successfully. They put in bath-rooms, bunglingly, 
 
 B
 
 l8 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 and divided the chambers upstairs in two. I have 
 undone some of their work, but not all. I have given 
 you a room with a view over the valley and the after- 
 noon sun there is lovely." 
 
 She pushed open the door of a room in which a small 
 and rustic-looking bonne was just depositing a can of 
 hot water. 
 
 " Zelie," said Madame, " this is Mademoiselle 
 Merton, and when she rings, you will come and unpack 
 for her. Run away now." 
 
 As she talked kindly on, Vere was inspecting the 
 quaint bed-chamber. It was carpeted all over with a 
 shabby Brussels carpet which smelt of dust, and 
 encumbered with heavy furniture, some Victorian, 
 some older. The wardrobe of inlaid burr walnut was 
 a really fine piece, but the four-post bed was a horror 
 to Vere. In spite, however, of not being very large, 
 and of being seriously overloaded with furniture, the 
 room was somehow pleasing. There was a glow of 
 warmth from a porcelain stove in one corner, a writing- 
 table and an arm-chair which looked comfortable, 
 though dingy. There were two doors, besides that by 
 which they had entered, and these the Baronne pro- 
 ceeded to open. One was only a hanging-cupboard, 
 the other, facing it, opened into a bath-room, which 
 likewise had two doors. 
 
 " My own room," said Madame d'Almier, "is on 
 the other side, and you and I share this bath. As I 
 expect you take yours in the morning, English fashion, 
 and I always have mine at night, we shall not clash. 
 This room which I am giving you is in effect the 
 room that belonged to Monsieur le Baron, my late 
 husband ! He has been dead for many years," added 
 she, with a smile that showed her strong white teeth, 
 all her own. " And now I know you are longing for
 
 GILLESRAUMONT ig 
 
 a hot bath and a change before dejeuner, are you not ? 
 After that, you will discover yourself to be in need of 
 a good long sleep ; and about tea-time we shall find 
 ourselves in the mood to talk to one another! . . . 
 You are pleased to come to me, little one eh ? " 
 " Oh, Tante Diane ! It's the chance of my life ! " 
 " Good ! Then I ring for Zelie (whom we share, 
 you and I, as we do the bath-room !). She will help 
 you to unpack and put away your things. A toute-a- 
 I'heure, mon enfant ! " 
 
 CHAPTER III GILLES RAUMONT 
 
 STUFFINESS and shabbiness notwithstanding, Vere 
 decided that the chateau was " not half bad." 
 
 Zelie, if inexperienced, was zealous, and never before 
 had Vere had anyone to tree her shoes, fold her clothes, 
 run her bath or brush her hair. When all was done, it 
 wanted but half an hour to noon, at which time 
 dejeuner was served. Vere was still too excited to 
 feel sleepy, and she ran eagerly downstairs, through 
 the hall, paved with vast slabs of rough stone which 
 looked like the levelled surface of the mountain, and 
 so out upon the terrace. 
 
 Here she found wicker chairs and tables, and an 
 awning with orange and white stripes. The sun was 
 hot and the situation amazingly sheltered. She 
 pushed a chair close to the parapet, and, sitting down, 
 produced a cigarette case and began to smoke, using 
 a long black holder tipped with green. 
 
 Puffing lazily, she gazed down across the plain to 
 the suburbs of Geneva and the turquoise corner of the 
 lake, all spread out like a map beneath.
 
 20 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 A strolling footstep was audible. Someone ap- 
 proached and paused beside her. It was Raumont, 
 gazing down upon her with a friendly smile. 
 
 " Well, petite Anglaise, what do you think of Haute 
 Savoie ? " 
 
 " Top-hole," replied Vere casually, half her atten- 
 tion fixed upon the scene below, " but my first im- 
 pression of complete solitude has just been rudely 
 shattered ! Surely that is the sound of a train that 
 I hear ! And it appears to be climbing that grim 
 precipice to our left the flank of the Great She-Wolf ! " 
 
 " Quite," he replied, his eyes fixed upon her with 
 a keenness of scrutiny which missed nothing. " That's 
 the electric railway that takes you down to Geneva. 
 You'll be glad of it soon. We should be a bit triste 
 up here without it." 
 
 As she tossed away the stump of her cigarette he 
 held out his case. " Try one of mine ? " She shook 
 her head with a laugh. 
 
 " One's enough before lunch and, oh ! I'm so 
 hungry ! This mountain air has magic in it." 
 
 The light of his match illumined the odd smile on 
 his well-cut features. " Discovered that already ? 
 You go fast." 
 
 Something in his tone made her turn her head to 
 see exactly what he meant. Their looks met. 
 
 " I was afraid," he explained, " that you were 
 young enough to be infallible. That's the worst of 
 the rising generation, they have nothing to learn. 
 But I find you are still sensitive to impressions 
 haven't yet made up your mind about absolutely 
 everything have you ? " 
 
 It was on her tongue's end to say, " I haven't made 
 up my mind about you," but she thought this might 
 sound like an invitation to flirt, so substituted : "So
 
 GILLESRAUMONT 21 
 
 far, I've only made up my mind about one thing, 
 and that is that I must have French lessons without 
 delay. I do feel such a fool, not being able to give 
 directions to Zelie ! Why, I don't even know what a 
 shoe-stretcher is ! " 
 
 " Well," said he, " you will soon be finding that 
 little train useful. Plenty of teachers in Geneva. 
 You will have to go and take lessons ; though per- 
 sonally, I should think if you read French books and 
 talk to the people, you would soon pick it all up." 
 
 " I may as well confess at once that I can't read a 
 French book without so much dictionary as to spoil 
 it." 
 
 " That's so ? But you are quick in the uptake, are 
 you not ? " 
 
 She laughed. " That's as may be. By the way, 
 are you French or American, or half and half ? " 
 
 He smiled. " French-Canadian," he replied. " My 
 father was the son of a genuine ' habitant/ and he 
 came to France to study medicine. In Paris he met 
 my mother, so I am altogether French, but I have 
 lived in Canada and spoken English most of my life." 
 
 " While I am only half English, the other half being 
 Italian-Austrian ; yet I feel completely English, and 
 can talk no other language ! And they call me well 
 educated ! " 
 
 " The English point of view," he replied lazily. 
 " It has been in the ascendant hitherto with you ; 
 but there remains the other half of you, for all that ; 
 shall we say the unexplored half ? That should be 
 interesting." 
 
 " It seems ridiculous to say I feel it stirring in me 
 already ! Yet remember that I was never out of 
 England before never crossed the Channel never 
 met any member of my mother's family "
 
 22 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " And you expected it all to be strange, perhaps 
 antipathetic ? And you find on the contrary that 
 you feel as if you had come home." 
 
 Her brows knit. " Let us say I feel as if I had come 
 back," she corrected. " It's rather a Rip van Winkle 
 feeling. I've been away so long that I've forgotten 
 
 the language " as she spoke a bell rang noisily. 
 
 He rose. 
 
 "A welcome sound! Lunch is served! Come 
 along ! The unexplored half of you will grow stronger 
 when it has fed on Continental food! " 
 
 The salle a manger was low and dark. It was also 
 much too large for a small party. It looked over 
 the valley, and outside it was a wide, glass-enclosed 
 balcony which had evidently been added when the 
 chateau was used as an hotel. They went through to 
 the balcony and seated themselves at a small table 
 set there. 
 
 " We always eat outside as long as the weather 
 allows," explained Aunt Diane, beaming upon her 
 great-niece with the utmost cordiality. 
 
 The d'Almier table-silver was good, but very ill- 
 kept Stein, the manservant who waited, was elderly, 
 and his coat wanted brushing so badly that it almost 
 spoilt Vere's appetite. 
 
 Almost not quite ; for the food was simply 
 delicious. To Vere, accustomed to the joints, stews 
 and puddings of the British suburban household, it 
 seemed like the food of the gods. She said to Raumont : 
 " I've already made one discovery about my unex- 
 plored half. It is horribly greedy! " 
 
 Dejeuner over, Vere was peremptorily ordered to 
 her room to lie down until tea-time. She did not 
 sleep much, but she rested, and felt, as she would 
 have said, " full of beans," when she joined the other
 
 GILLESRAUMONT 23 
 
 two on the terrace for tea, an English habit which 
 the Baronne had adopted. 
 
 " Are you fond of dancing, Verona? " asked Aunt 
 Diane, as they basked in the sunshine. 
 
 " Crazy," replied the girl promptly. 
 
 " Do you think you would be recovered enough 
 from your journey by to-morrow night to go and 
 dance ? " 
 
 " Rather ! But do we go all the way to Geneva ? " 
 
 " Not this time. When we go as far as that we will 
 stay the night. To-morrow there is a dance at the 
 Hotel Charmant, half-way up La Grande Louve. To 
 confess the truth, we are both fond of dancing, Gilles 
 and I, and we find that people think it odd for persons 
 of our age to go to dances ; but having a jeune fille 
 to introduce that is quite another pair of sleeves 
 or, as you say of shoes, is it not ? " 
 
 " It's fine to think I may come in useful," laughed 
 Vere, in high spirits." Think of it! A dance already ! 
 I haven't been to many because, you see, the tickets 
 cost so much, and my dad is such a dear old fossil 
 that he doesn't like a boy to pay for my ticket at 
 least, not often ! So absurd, isn't it ? Why, girls 
 go forty and fifty miles with a man in his car nowadays 
 and nobody thinks it odd." 
 
 " Parfaitement," said the Baronne with approval. 
 " But in France one must be just a leetle on the 
 side of the proprieties still. However, you may trust 
 me. I will allow you as much how you say ? as 
 much cord as possible." 
 
 A sudden thought made Vere's face fall. " But, 
 oh ! How perfectly rotten ! Nobody will want to 
 dance with a girl who can't talk French ! I shall be 
 a wallflower and disgrace you, Aunt Diane ! " 
 
 Madame contemplated her new acquisition
 
 24 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 appraisingly. It seemed to Vere that those eyes missed 
 nothing as they played over her face, throat, bust, 
 arms. "I do not think," was the verdict which 
 followed, " that you will be a " 
 
 " Wallflower ? " laughed Raumont. " Ni moi non 
 plus." 
 
 " And there will be Englishmen at the dance to- 
 morrow," went on the Baronne, " several probably, 
 but one for certain, a doctor named Coverley who 
 lives at the hotel." 
 
 " Oh, is there a resident English doctor there ? " 
 
 " No," replied Raumont, " this fellow is recovering 
 from a nervous breakdown. Clever chap, but " 
 
 "Too clever for me, I expect," said Vere discon- 
 tentedly. " Doctors are so scientific, and I hate 
 science." 
 
 " Pity ! Because I have the misfortune to be a 
 doctor," he retorted mischievously. 
 
 " Certainly," chimed in the Baronne. " I thought 
 I told you. Gilles is a psycho-analyst." 
 
 Vere made a derisive little grimace over the edge 
 of her teacup. " Sorry I spoke ! . . . but all that 
 Freud stuff! Ugh! You disappoint me! " 
 
 He focused his pale gem-like eyes upon her as he 
 replied lightly. " Ah, I said you were young enough 
 to be infallible." His voice changed suddenly, " but 
 what about the unexplored half of you eh ? " 
 
 She had the most uncanny feeling, as if he had put 
 out a finger and touched her. What they said was 
 light and jesting ; but as he spoke she knew knew 
 that under the surface was something else in this 
 man that was terribly in earnest. 
 
 With the feeling of being on her defence, she replied 
 with hardy flippancy : " Oh, I've read a bit of Freud, 
 you know."
 
 GILLESRAUMONT 25 
 
 " I wonder which bit," spoke Aunt Diane banter- 
 ingly but kindly. They all laughed. 
 
 " I don't think I'm a victim to any of my com- 
 plexes," protested Vere, half defiantly, vexed to find 
 herself flushing. 
 
 " I'll soon tell you that, if you really want to know," 
 volunteered Raumont, almost under his breath. 
 " Will you make an agreement to tell me, every 
 morning for the next fortnight, what you dreamt of 
 I should say, which of your dreams you have re- 
 membered ? " 
 
 Vere smiled in his face tauntingly. " Do you know, 
 I always think that such a desperately silly stunt," 
 said she. " If you asked me what I dreamt of last 
 night, or even this afternoon when I was asleep, 
 I can tell you, and that would be evidence ; but 
 if I fall asleep to-night with the idea that I have to 
 do the same thing to-morrow, that very thought must 
 colour my dreams and they would not be spontaneous." 
 
 Raumont leaned forward, his chin resting on his 
 lightly interlaced fingers an attitude she soon found 
 to be characteristic of him. " There is something in 
 what you say, oh, Wise Maiden, oh, Sibyl ! But, for 
 all that, let us try begin with telling me what you 
 dreamt of in the train." 
 
 " I dreamt of French dictionaries. I was trying to 
 to find words and they were not there ..." 
 
 " Any special word ? " 
 
 " Nonsense words, all of them words that I could 
 never by any possibility want. To illustrate their 
 folly I will tell you that I awoke as I was saying to 
 myself, ' the English for this is white lime budget." 
 
 The Baronne giggled, but Raumont, unmoved, took 
 out a notebook and pencil. " But that's most in- 
 teresting and curious ! And this afternoon ? "
 
 26 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " I dreamt I was back at my old school, Hayneslop, 
 doing exams, and I could not settle down to work 
 because there was a coffee-mill that I had to grind. 
 The coffee dust spilt all over my paper, on the wet 
 ink, and smeared it. It was an arithmetic paper, 
 which I hate. What price that for a dream ? " 
 
 " Was that all ? " 
 
 " All that I remember ; but probably to-night I 
 shall dream of my inherited inhibitions, which will 
 be far more useful to you, won't it ? " 
 
 He smiled at her as one smiles at an interesting and 
 precocious child. " It is, I confess, charming to me 
 to find that you still have something to learn," he said 
 caressingly. " Diane, this child has an intelligence 
 what ? Mademoiselle, I must lend you some books 
 to read." 
 
 " I like reading," said Vere, who had recovered 
 her customary aplomb, " but I'm not going to waste 
 my time measuring my soul. I intend to learn French, 
 and I'm going to put my back into it ! One thing at 
 a time, Monsieur Raumont! " 
 
 " Yes," said Aunt Diane, surveying her through 
 narrowed lids, " one thing at a time, Gilles! Let her 
 get her breath! At her age one likes dancing and 
 frisking and the society of the young." 
 
 "It is most true," he answered, as one lost in 
 thought. " A beautiful time of life, but very 
 short ! " 
 
 " Much longer than it used to be," returned Vere 
 hardily. " Girls used to be passees at twenty-five, 
 and now they are young really young at thirty-five 
 and as good-looking as ever, because we are getting 
 rid of our Byron complex and our Victorian complex, 
 and realising that a girl has a life to live as well as 
 a man."
 
 ANERVECASE 2J 
 
 " And surely the psycho-analysts have helped you 
 there ? " 
 
 " Have they ? I fancy the hygienic people have 
 helped us more ! Cold baths, the gymnasium, and a 
 good dentist " 
 
 " All three of them things I have never used," 
 observed Aunt Diane, rising from table as she spoke. 
 
 CHAPTER IV A NERVE CASE 
 
 THAT evening after dinner an elderly French lady 
 who was staying in an hotel at the village of Sannetier, 
 came up to play bridge, and Vere was naturally a 
 little bewildered, never having played cards in French 
 before. In this however, as in most respects, she 
 was a quick learner, and when Aunt Diane sent her 
 to bed, which in view of her supposed fatigue was 
 early, the girl felt sure that she was making a favourable 
 impression. 
 
 The appearance of Madame Laroche, who seemed 
 eminently comme il faut, was rather a relief to the 
 girl, who had been somewhat puzzled as to the exact 
 relations between Aunt Diane and Raumont. Madame 
 Laroche seemed to accept everything as being all 
 right ; and certainly the two were not living openly 
 together, since Madame had given Vere the other 
 half of her sleeping apartment. Raumont had men- 
 tioned casually that his room was up in the watch- 
 tower, and that he had also a laboratory there. More- 
 over, as the Baronne was a widow, there seemed no 
 reason why they should not marry if they wished. 
 
 Raumont was certainly younger than Aunt Diane. 
 When he appeared dressed for the dance, Vere
 
 28 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 decided that he was very distinguished looking. He 
 made her promise to dance with him, but would 
 not ask for too much, since he knew there would be 
 many who would compete with him. 
 
 From her aunt's approving manner and the message 
 in Raumont's eyes, she felt sure that her own appear- 
 ance pleased them. 
 
 In spite of her qualms about her French, she was on 
 the tiptoes of expectancy when they walked into the 
 " Charmant." 
 
 The hotel opened into a spacious lounge, full of 
 comfortable chairs and couches. Across the corridor 
 were a couple of drawing-rooms, beyond these a vast 
 glass-covered veranda, and beyond that again, a 
 terraced garden looking on Mont Blanc. The salle a 
 manger was cleared for dancing, and a violin and piano 
 were playing a melody which made Vere's feet twitch. 
 
 In the farthest corner of the lounge, deep in a 
 book, sat a tall man who did not look up as they 
 entered. He could not, however, escape the lynx eyes 
 of the Baronne. 
 
 " Ah, there is Dr. Coverley," said she in English, 
 making her way towards him. " How are you, and 
 why are you not dancing ? " 
 
 The man addressed looked anything but pleased 
 at being disturbed. He rose unwillingly, displaying a 
 tall, rather gaunt form. His face was haggard, his 
 expression forbidding. " I'm not dancing to-night," 
 he explained, after a brief greeting. 
 
 " Oh, but you must change your mind, since I have 
 brought you a partner an English partner " 
 
 " Awfully good of you, but I'm afraid you'll have 
 to excuse me, I've promised to make up a four at 
 bridge later." 
 
 " And so you shall later," smiled Madame, un-
 
 ANERVECASE 2Q 
 
 daunted. " Meanwhile," dropping her voice, " I am 
 counting on you to do me a favour. I have here a 
 young English girl who speaks very little French. I 
 am most anxious that she should not feel, as you 
 say out of it at her first dance. To begin well, 
 that is everything, is it not ? Dance with her once 
 or twice then, and present her to one or two young 
 men whom you know to be ' all-right ' eh ? " 
 
 It was a request impossible to refuse without seeming 
 absolutely boorish. Coverley, who had not so much 
 as looked towards Raumont and Vere, shrugged his 
 shoulders and followed Madame to where they stood. 
 
 Vere, in her oyster-white satin, was standing quite 
 unconsciously against a velvet curtain of just that 
 tawny orange which Van Dyck loved as a background, 
 and looked, with her pale gold hair and fathomless 
 eyes, much like a portrait by that master. When 
 Coverley was introduced, he stood for a long moment 
 of what seemed like hesitation before offering his 
 arm ; and his expression was so far from being over- 
 joyed that the girl was amused. When they had 
 entered the ball-room and were out of hearing, she 
 chuckled softly. 
 
 " One doesn't need telling that you're English," she 
 observed with sarcasm, " nor that this is a clear case 
 of ' duty calls, I must obey ! ' However, there's no 
 escape for you, so prepare for sacrifice ! I can hardly 
 talk any French, so you see you're doomed ! 
 
 ' Fe fi f o fum ! 
 I hear the voice of an Englishman ! ' ' 
 
 An involuntary laugh broke from Coverley. It 
 came with the effect of having fallen by accident 
 out of a box wherein all his laughter was shut in 
 tightly.
 
 30 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " I didn't see you at dinner are you staying in 
 this hotel ? " he asked with interest. 
 
 " Pas je ! to use the idiom of the country! I am 
 staying at the Chateau d'Almier, with La Baronne 
 who is my great-aunt." 
 
 " But but you are English ? " 
 
 " My father is. My mother was the daughter of an 
 Austrian who married an Italian, so I am a bit of a 
 mongrel, am I not ? " 
 
 "Curious! And how does the blend work? I 
 mean, which are you in your heart ? English, Italian 
 or Austrian ? " 
 
 " I haven't had the chance to be anything but 
 English so far. Oh! But as English as Brixton! 
 The war estranged us from our continental relations, 
 and my mother died . . . this is my first excursion 
 among my foreign kin. I only arrived yesterday, 
 but I am to make a long visit." 
 
 " Do you think you will like it ? " he asked as they 
 began to dance. 
 
 " I like most things. Everything's new to me 
 even the French food! I certainly like that I And 
 I adore dancing, and in England I got very little." 
 
 " Hope I'm not disillusioning you ; bit rusty, am 
 I not ? " 
 
 " You're jolly good," she replied in a tone whose 
 heartiness was obvious ; and later she remarked ; 
 " You mustn't let me tire you. I could go on like 
 this all night ! " 
 
 " So could I. It's like dancing with Titania ! " 
 
 " What a lovely compliment ! I thought English- 
 men never said that sort of thing." 
 
 " They don't. It slipped out and you must excuse 
 it. I haven't talked to a girl like you for ages." 
 
 "Ages! You might be Methuselah! "
 
 ANERVECASE 31 
 
 " So I am, practically. That is to say, I'm thirty- 
 one." 
 
 She chuckled. "A ripe age! Oh, there's that 
 hateful music stopping." 
 
 " It'll soon go on again. Meanwhile come out in 
 the garden and tell me how you came to be marooned 
 at the chateau." 
 
 " By no means marooned," said she when they 
 were seated in the moonlight, watching the silver 
 peaks. " I was simply fed at home fed to the back 
 teeth, if you'll excuse! I was nobody there not 
 wanted and before Dad's second marriage I used to 
 be everybody. It's a bit confusing, whisking round 
 like that." 
 
 " Tell me about it," he said, arranging a scarf about 
 her shoulders. " I can't picture Queen Titania as a 
 nobody. I feel as if you were in a Hampton Court 
 Masque, and I want to give you a wand, and catch a 
 firefly to put on the tip ! ' : 
 
 " Far better offer me a cigarette ! Then we'll have 
 the fiery tip all right ! " she laughed. 
 
 The man paused looked somewhat taken aback 
 as he drew his case from his pocket. " You girls of 
 to-day are not romantic." 
 
 She looked at him wickedly as the light of the match 
 flickered over his face. " Got the wrong word, haven't 
 you ? you mean we're not sentimental. I grant 
 that. We're not. It isn't done. Romance is some- 
 thing that lies a good deal deeper, don't you think 
 so ? " 
 
 " Perhaps," he assented, studying her curiously. 
 " By the way, are you engaged for the next ? " 
 
 " No. I must dance with Monsieur Raumont 
 presently, but he'll wait, I don't want him to feel I'm 
 on his hands."
 
 32 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " You shan't be that," he replied shortly ; " and 
 that brings us back to our muttons. I want to know 
 how you come to be here, at the chateau. Do tell 
 me." 
 
 In the long look she had taken of his face in the 
 light of the match, Vere had partially revoked her first 
 disagreeable impression of the man. His features 
 were harsh but they were powerful. His deep-set 
 eyes were weary but they looked sincere. Yet she 
 fenced a little. 
 
 " Well, you know, I don't quite know why I should," 
 she replied. " It's not one of my habits to sit down 
 and relate to every stranger the history of my life." 
 
 "If it interests you to know it," said he after a 
 pause, " I was myself a patient of Raumont's last 
 spring. I was suffering from an obscure kind of nerve 
 complaint, and he persuaded me to let him try his 
 beastly psycho-analysis on me." 
 
 " Oh ? " she was eager to hear more. " Was it a 
 success ? " 
 
 " To put it mildly, no. It was an infernal failure. 
 Of course he said it was my fault, and it may have 
 been, at least in part. But any way the result was 
 that I precious nearly went mad. Only my dour 
 Scots blood saved me, and I don't think Raumont 
 reckoned with that. But take my tip, Queen Titania, 
 don't let him experiment on you." 
 
 " Well, I'm not ill, fortunately." 
 
 " Never mind, I'm warning you." 
 
 " To tell you the truth," said the girl after reflection, 
 " I believe that what he calls psycho-analysis is the 
 same thing we used to call hypnotism. He would 
 like to get an ascendancy. ..." 
 
 " That's just it. Just precisely it. Don't you let 
 him. The Baroness has ended by being entirely
 
 ANERVECASE 33 
 
 under his influence. I will own that he did effect a 
 marvellous cure in her case. Or so she says. And 
 now she can't do without him. He must always be 
 within reach." 
 
 "He lives there always ? " 
 
 " Oh no, not always. But I shouldn't mind betting 
 that he suggested her inviting you, so that he could 
 get away more often, or more easily. She pays him 
 well, no doubt, but for all that it must be a tie, for he 
 really is a clever man, and he has a practice of his own 
 at Lausanne. Some people think no end of him ; but 
 I'm perhaps a prejudiced witness. I hate the idea of 
 the way the fellow burrowed into my mentality and 
 tapped my brain. He would tell you that he knows 
 me through and through. And as he failed, there is a 
 kind of subconscious soreness between us two." 
 
 " And how," she asked suddenly " were you cured 
 at last ? " 
 
 " I'm not cured," he answered shortly. 
 
 : ' Why, what's the matter with you now ? " she 
 inquired as if amused. 
 
 He looked inclined to be offended, then smiled, but 
 only a little. " These things are intricate not easy 
 
 to explain to the tyro " he broke off, then said 
 
 unexpectedly : " You're very sane and wholesome, 
 you know! " 
 
 " I should be inclined to say the same of you, 
 judging you by this conversation." 
 
 " Would you ? That's comforting. If I do get 
 well it will be this chap now coming towards us who's 
 
 responsible " he broke off as a lean, energetic 
 
 man with a dark, clean-shaven face, strolled towards 
 them along the terrace. " Hallo, Hardcastle, come 
 and be introduced to Miss Merton," said he distinctly, 
 ' ' she' s come to stay up at the chateau with the Baronne. ' ' 
 
 c
 
 34 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Well, well, this is interesting," said Hardcastle, 
 pausing and greeting Vere cordially. " And what 
 brings you to these parts ? Has Madame, as I have 
 sometimes guessed she would, begun furtively to turn 
 her lonely house into an hotel again ? " 
 
 " She hasn't said anything to me about it. I'm 
 her great-niece and god-daughter." 
 
 " That so ? " rather as if the news surprised him. 
 " Well, your aunt made herself a bit unpopular with 
 the villagers by taking possession of her house, you 
 know," he went on, sitting down on the other side of 
 Vere. " When it was an hotel, there was a continual 
 influx, not only of guests staying there, but of cars 
 full of visitors coming to tea on the terrace, from all 
 the health resorts round about. The old lady at the 
 corner by the church who sells post cards, spoke to me 
 sadly of her decreased market." 
 
 " Still," said Coverley, " one can hardly blame the 
 Baronne for coming to live in her own house if she 
 wanted to." 
 
 " Of course not ; and it is a wonderful place. Have 
 you seen all the hidey-holes underneath ? " asked 
 Hardcastle of Vere. 
 
 " Not yet. I only arrived yesterday. I must ask 
 to see them." 
 
 " Who comes into the place on her death, do you 
 happen to know ? " asked Coverley. 
 
 " I must seem to you utterly ignorant, but indeed 
 I have no idea. I never remember to have seen my 
 great-aunt before, since I was born. She is a com- 
 plete stranger to me ; and until I got her letter in- 
 viting me to visit her, I supposed she had forgotten 
 my existence." 
 
 " If Madame is related to you, I gather that you 
 are yourself partly foreign ? "
 
 ANERVECASE 35 
 
 ' ' Yes. My mother was a Viennese and her mother was 
 Italian. I'm like a Neapolitan ice, three separate streaks 
 in me ; but so completely has the English predominated 
 hitherto that I can't speak any other language." 
 
 Both her companions derided this statement, and 
 extracted from her the admission that for years she 
 had studied the grammar of French and German also. 
 The three began to talk and dispute with animation, 
 and Vere felt quite sorry when at last Raumont 
 strolled up somewhat diffidently and asked if he 
 might have the next dance. 
 
 She went with him at once. " Sorry, I hope you 
 didn't think I'd left you cold ? Those two English- 
 men are well, I like them! " 
 
 " So long as you were entertained," he replied 
 rather stiffly. " To own the truth, it was Madame 
 who sent me to bring you to her. There are several 
 who wish for an introduction." 
 
 This was flattering to Vere's youth. She went with 
 him to where Madame sat in the lounge in a place 
 commanding the door of the ball-room. Vere thought 
 she looked annoyed and hoped she had not uncon- 
 sciously given offence. Her aunt, however, smiled 
 quite amiably as Raumont led her up, and turned to 
 two young men hanging about near, introducing them 
 to her niece. 
 
 As the first led her away, Vere made a little, plead- 
 ing grimace over his shoulder to Raumont it was the 
 slightest of gestures, but to the man it conveyed a 
 delicious sense of there being something between 
 them. It was as though these young Frenchmen, 
 staying at an hotel in Sannetier, were outlanders, and 
 he and she belonged to the family. 
 
 When the two duty dances were over, she found 
 him awaiting her eagerly.
 
 CHAPTER V LORD BILLIE 
 
 " ONE thing's certain," laughed Vere, as she danced 
 off with Raumont, " their English is every bit as bad 
 as my French, if not worse ! " 
 
 " So I should imagine," he replied as they glided 
 down the room with a precision so remarkable and a 
 finish so neat that many watched them. " Now," he 
 went on, "if you really want to master colloquial 
 French, why not arrange that we talk to each other 
 only in that language ? Then you could let me know 
 if I used any word or idiom that you do not under- 
 stand. You would soon advance if we never used 
 English." 
 
 " Not a bad idea! But wait a week," she begged 
 childishly. " Just at the moment I want a real 
 holiday, and I need to have so many things explained 
 to me do go on talking English until I am thoroughly 
 acclimatised." 
 
 She felt the pressure of his arm strengthen slightly 
 as he looked down upon her with an admiration she 
 could hardly ignore. " In a very few days," he told 
 her, " I shall do anything you ask me, just because it 
 is you who ask it." 
 
 " Jolly fine," was her unexpected retort, " but 
 better be careful how you say things like that, or 
 you'll find yourself let in for all kinds of fatigue duty! " 
 
 Baffling girl ! The psycho-analyst began to wonder 
 if she really could be just as simple as she seemed. 
 
 All the time they danced, he had been keeping his 
 attention more or less fixed upon the doorway, and 
 just as he was pondering the problem that called 
 itself Vere, he saw Madame arise from her seat, make 
 two steps forward and hold out her hand. 
 
 36
 
 LORDBILLIE 37 
 
 Instantly Raumont danced to the end of the room, 
 murmured something about lemonade, and walked 
 his partner out just as the Baronne was shaking hands 
 with a tall young man who wore an eyeglass and was 
 got up within an inch of his life. 
 
 Raumont murmured to Vere. " That's Lord Wil- 
 liam Armitage Billie everyone calls him. He's 
 attached to the Kilistrian Embassy, for some curious 
 reason. I fancy his mother was Kilistrian or some- 
 thing of that kind. He's a great favourite with your 
 aunt, and he has been away in England for some 
 weeks. She hoped he might be here to-night, but we 
 had begun to think he wasn't coming." 
 
 Vere and he joined Madame d'Almier just as Lord 
 Billie was saying, " How-de-do, Baronne, how-de-do, 
 how've you been ? " in tones resembling those of the 
 society fool on the stage. Then he turned to a girl 
 who stood at his elbow a good-looking, weU-dressed 
 girl about five years older than Vere. 
 
 " Been awfully busy, Baronne, since I saw you 
 last in fact, quite taken up gettin' married, you 
 know ; some job what ? May I present my wife ? 
 Lady Billie la Baronne d'Almier." 
 
 Vere's fingers still rested on Raumont's arm, and she 
 felt him start slightly as this announcement was made. 
 Its effect upon Aunt Diane was even more apparent. 
 
 " Married, Lord Billie ? Well, you do surprise me! 
 I thought marriage was not one of your habits." 
 
 " Quite true, dear lady, quite true ! Never done 
 such a thing in me life ; didn't know I could. All 
 happened in a minute ! No time to warn my friends. 
 Result a very inadequate show of wedding presents, 
 and hardly any press publicity. But I say, you 
 know take a look at her what do you say ? Could 
 a fellow help himself, I mean what ? "
 
 38 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Lady Billie smiled quite unperturbed. " Billie, 
 don't be a goat! I have looked forward to knowing 
 you, Madame la Baronne ; my husband has spoken to 
 me of your hospitality to him, and also I know your 
 husband a little ; is not Herr Wasserufer your hus- 
 band ? We met him in London and Billie told me 
 he knew him in Gailima." 
 
 To the amazement of Vere, Madame assented to 
 this. It seemed to the girl an extraordinary thing 
 that she should have been forty-eight hours at the 
 chateau and not have been told that Madame was 
 no longer a widow. Why, she, Vere, was actually 
 occupying the room of this gentleman with the Teutonic 
 name ! Perhaps he and his wife had quarrelled ? 
 
 The idea so absorbed her that she missed the next 
 few sentences of the talk, and started when her aunt 
 drew her forward and introduced her to the Armitages. 
 Lady Billie was a most attractive creature, not exactly 
 pretty but fascinating. 
 
 " Here's a jolly friend for you, Jo what ? " said 
 Lord Billie gaily to his wife, with an approving glance 
 at the English girl. " Mustn't say this kind of thing, 
 you know, but strictly entre nous, Baronne, most of 
 the er feminine appendages of the delegates are a 
 bit eh ? Just so ! None of 'em what you might 
 call eh ? 'Nuff said ! However, your niece is the 
 genuine article. Do let her come and play with Jo ! 
 Send her downhill in the train and we'll bring the car 
 to meet her at the terminus, and save that deadly 
 tram ride. Meanwhile, Miss Merton, what price a 
 turn with me eh ? " 
 
 Vere assented, laughing. There was a twinkle in 
 the eye of Lord Billie which indicated that he was not 
 by any means such a fool as he pretended. On this 
 Raumont invited the bride to dance with him, and
 
 LORDBILLIE 39 
 
 the two couples went off to the ball-room, leaving the 
 Baronne standing alone, with a look on her face which 
 was seldom seen there a look of being completely 
 taken aback. 
 
 " Is there a chap here called Coverley ? Edward 
 Coverley ? " asked Lord Billie of Vere as they danced. 
 " How is he ? Poor devil got bitten with this 
 neurotic stunt! Pity! He and I were pals when 
 I first came to Geneva. He had quite a good practice 
 among the English residents." 
 
 Vere said she had danced with Dr. Coverley and 
 liked him. " Does he live in Geneva ? " she asked. 
 
 " Not now. He jacked up everything, came to 
 Sannetier, shut himself up in a little hotel there, and 
 went in for a psycho-analytical course of treatment. 
 No wonder his reason tottered ! " 
 
 " You don't believe in that kind of thing ? " 
 
 " My dear little lady, I'm not a scientific gent. I've 
 nothing to go by but my own fool mentality ; and 
 that tells me that if I want to be always merry and 
 bright I must turn my thoughts off myself as com- 
 pletely as I can ! If Coverley had come to me for 
 advice, which strange to say he didn't, I should have 
 said, ' My good chap, get off with the nicest girl you 
 can find, draw your last nickel out of the bank, and 
 take her to Monte or Biarritz, or somewhere like that. 
 Jazz for all you're worth, enjoy life like a boy, then 
 come back and buckle down to work and you'll be as 
 fit as a fiddle. Instead of which, he sat in a corner 
 searching the inmost recesses of his being staring at 
 the wall as you might say, till of course he thought 
 he saw spooks. I believe he's living here in the 
 ' Charmant,'' is he not ? A trifle gayer than his last 
 lair was ; but I suppose you couldn't get him to 
 dance, could you ? "
 
 40 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Rather ! He dances beautifully. I'm to have 
 another with him, later on. He looks ill, but I think 
 he's much better. He told me he owed a great deal 
 to a Mr. Hardcastle, a friend of his " 
 
 " Hardcastle ! The little padre! Good work, I 
 didn't know he was up here ! You know all good 
 Genevans go to the ' Charmant ' when they die. Oh, 
 Hardcastle' s one of the best did you like 
 him ? " 
 
 " Yes, I did. I didn't notice he was a padre." 
 
 " Well, you're a girl after my own heart if you 
 like those two " 
 
 " Don't build too much on that ! Remember I'm 
 the insular Anglaise, abroad for the first time, and 
 jumping at the chance to chatter to compatriots " 
 
 "Too bad to let me down like this! I've been 
 raising enormous hopes for the future on your con- 
 descending cordiality! Are you only just come out 
 to France ? " 
 
 As he seemed really interested, Vere told him of 
 her never having been abroad before, and how strange 
 things seemed to her. 
 
 " Then you never saw the Baronne's German hus- 
 band ? " 
 
 " Until your wife mentioned him just now I never 
 knew he existed! I was surprised! " 
 
 " Rum old boy. One of those people always 
 negotiating concessions and things, trotting round 
 among foreign governments seeking what he may 
 devour. They say he's rich; anyway, he enables his 
 wife to come and life in the chateau here, which she 
 had been obliged to let for many years." 
 
 " But why doesn't he live there with her ? " 
 
 " Oh, he rolls up every now and then. But he's 
 usually on the hoof, nosing about somewhere, trying
 
 LORDBILLIE 4! 
 
 to ingratiate himself with the big pots ; snuffing 
 round if there's a good thing going you know! " 
 
 " I can't think why Aunt Diane never mentioned 
 him! " 
 
 "H'm! Germans ain't popular in England, even 
 yet, you know. Won't be until the generation that 
 went through the war has passed away. Perhaps she 
 might have thought your people wouldn't let you go 
 and visit her if they knew of the old herr." 
 
 " He's really German, isn't he ? " 
 
 " German of the Germans. But here in Geneva, 
 you know, we're all cosmopolitans. I advise you to 
 pack your prejudices in your trunk until you go back 
 home. The old boy is sure to be kind to you if you 
 let him." 
 
 Vere made a face. " I don't at all like the idea of 
 a fat old German uncle. But I'll try and take your 
 advice. Aunt Diane evidently wants me to have a 
 good time, and if you knew how dull I've been at 
 home for the last two years, you'd understand how 
 keen I feel to take my chance." 
 
 " You shall have the time of your life. I know 
 every soul in Geneva who's anybody : and Jo and I 
 will be in the thick of things. We'll just arrange a 
 day for you to come over, and invite a few, judiciously 
 picked out, to meet you at lunch think I better ask 
 the Baronne the first time ? She's not a lady who 
 enjoys being slighted." 
 
 " I think it would be best, as I am in her charge, 
 though I don't think she means to keep me tied to 
 her apron-string. Do you have to invite Raumont 
 whenever you invite her ? " 
 
 " Well, I shan't," replied Billie, quite lightly, but 
 with an edge in his voice that Vere detected. 
 (Raumont was apparently not a man's man.) She
 
 42 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 found her thoughts dwelling on him with a persistence 
 which 'made her wonder whether he was already 
 trying to exert some hypnotic influence upon her. 
 
 At the next moment, Lady Billie had sailed up to 
 them on Raumont's arm and was eagerly saying : 
 
 " Bill, this is the most intriguing creature ! I've 
 been having such a talk with him ! I've asked him 
 to come to lunch with us day after to-morrow he 
 and the Baronne, and, of course, Miss Merton. Picture 
 to yourself," she added, speaking to Vere, " that 
 Billie told me society in this place was dull! And 
 here's a man who thinks in four dimensions, or some- 
 thing equally wonderful! " 
 
 Lord Billie shot a twinkling glance at Vere as he 
 declared his pleasure that so eminent a person as 
 Raumont should condescend to their flat. " Better 
 come along and catch the Baronne and make a fixture 
 of it," he said gaily, " and by the way, they say that 
 old blighter Ned Coverley is here let's have him too." 
 
 Raumont shrugged his shoulders. " I fear you 
 won't succeed in persuading him to that," he said 
 swiftly. " He's a sick man still, though I hear he is 
 on the mend." 
 
 It was on the edge of Vere's tongue to say indig- 
 nantly that she believed Dr. Coverley to be perfectly 
 normal. Something restrained her ; something that 
 warned her to shield her thoughts, her preferences, 
 from Raumont at all costs. The Baronne accepted 
 the invitation with cordiality but not with gush. She 
 seemed to be conferring, not receiving the favour. 
 
 "It is already September," said she, " and in a 
 short while trips along the lake will not be so enjoy- 
 able. My niece has not seen anything of this country, 
 and I want her to go right down the lake. If you are 
 so kind as to give us lunch, we could afterwards take
 
 LORDBILLIE 43 
 
 her as far as Ouchy, and have tea there. That will 
 give her a glimpse of the Dent du Midi." 
 
 " Top-hole," approved Lord Billie, " and I dare 
 say Jo would like to go too, even if my rotten old job 
 should keep me from the merry throng. I can tell 
 you all this much " he looked like a mysterious owl 
 as he bent forward to Aunt Diane and lowered his 
 voice " there's going to be considerable activity on 
 the Geneva front for the next few days. Shouldn't 
 wonder if Herr Wasserufer were to roll up shortly 
 and when he does, I want to see him badly." 
 
 The Baronne seemed to hesitate for a few moments ; 
 then she said in the same dropped tones : 
 
 " I am expecting him next week." 
 
 " Good egg! Baronne, you don't know how badly 
 I want to keep the right side of you ! If there's a 
 man in Europe whose brains I'm anxious to pick, it's 
 your husband! " Lord Billie beamed upon her with 
 an exuberance which struck Vere as the least bit 
 overdone, but which Aunt Diane seemed to accept 
 with much satisfaction. " I wonder where he is at 
 this minute, the little joker," he went on reflectively. 
 
 " His wire came from Rome," replied the Baronne 
 without an instant's pause. 
 
 " I must be growing psychic," mused Vere in 
 bewilderment. " How is it that I am perfectly certain 
 Aunt Diane is not speaking the truth ? " 
 
 As this thought flickered through her mind her eye 
 chanced to fall on Raumont. The least vestige of a 
 smile flickered under his moustache ; and she knew 
 she was right. 
 
 "Stout fellow! " murmured Lord Billie, as if in 
 enormous admiration. " And now, Madame d'Almier, 
 suppose we go and find a spot of supper ? "
 
 CHAPTER VI THE CASTLE VAULTS 
 
 " BUT, Aunt Diane, why why didn't you tell me you 
 had married again ? " cried Vere, as they sat in the 
 old car on their way back to the chateau. 
 
 " I told your father," said Aunt Diane shortly. 
 
 " Are you positive ? He never told me. Oh, I'm 
 sure he didn't know, for he said he wondered whether 
 you had ? " 
 
 " Ah, well, I meant to mention it, but I suppose 
 I forgot. I concluded that you knew. As for Luit- 
 pold, he is an odd kind of creature. You will soon 
 see for yourself." 
 
 Vere laughed. " He won't like a modern English 
 girl, will he ? " 
 
 Aunt Diane gave a short laugh. " How can I tell ? 
 I hope he will like you, little foolish one." 
 
 Her mood seemed to have regained its equanimity ; 
 in fact, she gave the impression of being rather elated. 
 " And how have you enjoyed your evening ? " she 
 inquired. 
 
 Vere expressed her approval warmly. " Quite a 
 good dance, I enjoyed every minute of it. I liked 
 Dr. Coverley, the first man you introduced to me, 
 and I am simply all over Lord and Lady Billie, they 
 are just my sort." 
 
 " Excellent! You would like to keep the engage- 
 ment we have made to lunch with them ? " 
 
 " Rather! Did you think I wouldn't ? " 
 
 " I think," said the Baronne deliberately, " that 
 you are just the kind of girl I hoped you would be. 
 You get on with my friends." 
 
 Vere laughed rather triumphantly. " My step- 
 
 44
 
 THE CASTLE VAULTS 45 
 
 mother said you would think me hopelessly ill-bred. 
 She expected you to pack me off home in a week or 
 so. Oh, I do hope you won't ! " 
 
 " Not if you go on as you have begun. I am sorry 
 that this was the last dance of the summer season 
 at the ' Charmant.' No more balls there until the hotel 
 fills for Christmas ; but there are dances in Geneva. 
 If Lady Billie Armitage chaperons you, you can go to 
 the best." 
 
 " You are good to me," said Vere simply. " I'm 
 going to buckle down to learning French for the 
 next few days ; and I must go for some walks and 
 explore the country round. Oh, that reminds me ! 
 Dr. Coverley asked me if I had seen the hidey-holes 
 under the chateau. Do let me, won't you ? " 
 
 There was a moment's complete silence. Raumont, 
 who was facing them,sunk in the shadows, stirred slightly. 
 After a perceptible pause the Baronne said slowly : 
 
 " Dr. Coverley told you there are hidey-holes under 
 the chateau ? " 
 
 " Why, Diane," said Raumont softly, " you know 
 there has always been a story to that effect." He 
 leaned forward, addressing Vere. " The people who 
 had a hotel here may have started it. They no doubt 
 thought it sounded mysterious and thrilling to describe 
 our big cellar as a secret underground chamber ; but 
 its only claim to interest, as far as I know, is that it 
 is cut out of the solid rock." 
 
 " First time I ever heard that anyone supposed my 
 wine-cellar to be interesting," observed Diane, amused. 
 " Its main feature in these days is its emptiness 
 though, to judge by the piles of old casks it contains, 
 is used to be full enough! That reminds me, Gilles, 
 as soon as Luitpold conies, do tell him that he must 
 order in some wine."
 
 46 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Well, I'm disappointed ! I love to be thrilled ; 
 and caverns and so on are so creepy," sighed Vere. 
 " I was in hopes there might be a ghost." 
 
 "I'll show you the Gueule de Loup to-morrow. I 
 think you'll say that's creepy," laughed Gilles. 
 
 It was the custom at d'Almier to serve petit 
 dejeuner in the bedrooms, and the following morning, 
 Vere did not awaken until hers was brought to her, 
 and ate it actually in bed. When she was dressed 
 she came downstairs, and, as nobody was about, 
 settled herself down on the terrace in the sunshine 
 with one or two dictionaries unearthed from the 
 frowsy old library shelves, a French novel, pencil and 
 paper. 
 
 It was singularly hard to fix her attention when 
 the sun was so dazzling and the maple trees flamed 
 so bravely. Moreover, her thoughts ran on the 
 previous night, the people she had met ; the morose 
 Coverley, the padre Hardcastle, Lord and Lady 
 Billie particularly the latter. She looked forward 
 with thrills of glee to visiting this festive pair in 
 Geneva and sharing their amusements. 
 
 Presently the Baronne came out of the front door 
 and stood upon the step, smiling at the studious 
 Vere. 
 
 " Where is Gilles ? " she asked. 
 
 " Not seen him this morning. Perhaps he's still in 
 bed." 
 
 " Lazybones," replied Aunt Diane, coming slowly 
 down the steps and sinking into a chair. " Are you 
 very tired ? " she asked. 
 
 Vere laughed her scorn. " Do I look it ? " 
 
 " Feel inclined to go as far as the village for 
 me ? " 
 
 " Why, Aunt Diane, of course " the eager girl
 
 THE CASTLE VAULTS 47 
 
 was already on her feet. " I shall simply love to run 
 an errand for you if that's what you mean " 
 
 " There would just be time before dejeuner," mused 
 the Baronne. " In the Place, just opposite you as 
 you walk in from here, on the left of the church, is 
 a little shop, full of post cards, crockery, groceries, 
 and so on. They ordered some books for me which 
 were to have arrived yesterday, and I promised to 
 send for them, but Branting tells me something has 
 gone wrong with the car, and he is busy with it in 
 the yard " 
 
 " The walk will be just what I love, and a chance 
 to air my wretched French. Oh, I could shake myself 
 when I think how badly I speak and how little I 
 understand ! Never mind, I'm getting on, I've read 
 four pages of this ridiculous book ! ' ' She displayed 
 " L' Affaire Blaireau." 
 
 " Such rubbish," said Aunt Diane contemptuously. 
 " But, after all, colloquial. Perhaps it is best you 
 read such things." 
 
 There was no need for any further equipment for 
 the walk. Vere just took up her stick and swung off 
 down through the garden, past a hard tennis court 
 which looked as though it had not been rolled or 
 even swept that season, and out upon the road at 
 the corner of a hairpin bend, whence a footpath wound 
 down through meadows, to rejoin the road just at 
 the beginning of the village. 
 
 The shop to which she had been directed was kept 
 by a dear little Swiss woman with a family of beau- 
 tiful white cats of every age. Vere selected some 
 picture post cards of the chateau to send home, also 
 some views of the mountains, and so on. As she was 
 turning, with her parcel of books, to leave the shop, 
 Dr. Coverley walked in. In the sunshine she could
 
 48 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 see clearly how haggard he looked, how sunken were 
 his eyes, how lacking in buoyancy his manner. There 
 was, however, no mistaking the pleasure in his melan- 
 choly face as he greeted her and asked if she were 
 tired. Madame smiled knowingly, inquired if both 
 had been at the dance the previous evening and 
 remarked that it was pleasant to dance if one was 
 young. 
 
 " Curious," said Coverley as they left the shop 
 together, " when I began to dance I felt as if I, too, 
 were young." 
 
 " A man," said Vere sententiously, " is as old as he 
 feels." 
 
 " In that case you might have put me down at 
 three score and ten when the Baronne introduced me 
 to you last night." 
 
 " And now . . . ? " 
 
 " Well you took off a few decades. . . . Are you 
 going back to the chateau ? All right, I'll carry these 
 books for you." 
 
 They dropped into the easy kind of talk natural to 
 their age and nationality, and it seemed hardly a step 
 back to the lower end of the castle grounds. 
 
 " I've just discovered a tennis court," she told him. 
 " It seems to be in an awful state, but if one could 
 get it rolled, a game might be possible. I wonder if 
 they have a net or balls or anything." 
 
 " It used not to be bad when the castle was a hotel," 
 said Coverley reflectively. " I suppose you've brought 
 out a racquet ? " 
 
 " Rather. I'm pining for a game, just to stretch 
 my limbs. The French are so rum, aren't they ? 
 One can hardly fancy Gilles Raumont playing 
 
 " Oh, but most of the young folks do I should 
 think Raumont does, but he's so taken up with his
 
 THE CASTLE VAULTS 49 
 
 own job, he doesn't get time. Has he gone to Lausanne 
 this morning ? " 
 
 " I don't think so, but I haven't seen him. Aunt 
 Diane asked me where he was. . . . I'll ascertain at 
 dejeuner whether they've got any of the requisite 
 outfit for tennis, then you could come up and give 
 me a game." 
 
 " Love to. We ought to make the most of this 
 weather while it lasts " 
 
 " Oh, by the way, I asked Aunt Diane about those 
 caves you spoke of hidey-holes under the castle, 
 you said and she says there are none, only a wine- 
 cellar. Raumont told me that really there's nothing 
 except a cellar cut out of the rock." 
 
 Coverley turned towards her a face alive with a 
 curious interest. " Raumont told you that ? " 
 
 She nodded, her attention awakened by his tone. 
 " Why ? Isn't it correct ? " 
 
 " Well, perhaps I'd better not ... it isn't my 
 affair . . . least said ..." 
 
 " Oh, come ! after that, you simply must say what 
 you mean! Do you know anything about it ? " 
 
 " Miss Merton, you mustn't quote me I can't let 
 myself in for " 
 
 " Let yourself in ! What are you talking about ? 
 Do you by any chance know more about this gay old 
 fortress than its owner does ? " 
 
 He reflected on this. " That's possible, of course 
 on the other hand but really I don't see what reason 
 they could have for misleading you ..." 
 
 " Misleading me ? Of course they haven't ! Unless 
 my unknown great-uncle-by-marriage, the wondrous 
 Herr Wasserufer, is a dark conspirator ! And what 
 could he conspire about ? The war is a thing of the 
 past, and France is not a Prohibition country . . ." 
 
 D
 
 5O THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Girls' minds," observed Coverley with sarcasm, 
 " move fast." 
 
 " Well now, let's have this thing out," urged Vere. 
 " You are hinting that there really are dark hiding- 
 places under the castle and that Aunt Diane doesn't 
 want me to know it. First of all, what makes you 
 think there are ? " 
 
 He replied calmly : " I've seen them." 
 
 " You've seen them ? " 
 
 " Before the Baronne came back. She's only been 
 here three years, you know." 
 
 " Well, then, ten to one she doesn't know they are 
 there." 
 
 " Possibly ; but I don't think it very likely, some- 
 how." 
 
 " Then you think that for some reason she doesn't 
 want me to see them ? " 
 
 " Mademoiselle, how can I have any opinion on the 
 matter ? I can only say that, if so, it's er curious." 
 
 They looked at one another questioningly. At the 
 moment the jangling bell which announced the meal 
 sounded from the bell- turret. 
 
 " I've been here so short a time that I don't know 
 whether I should be in order in asking you to come 
 in and have a spot of lunch, as Lord Billie calls it " 
 
 " Thanks, I couldn't in any case ; Hardcastle's 
 expecting me down at the hotel. We lunch later 
 there than you do up here. I say I wouldn't think 
 too much about what I said, if I were you. There 
 may be various reasons ..." 
 
 " Oh, quite. I I think perhaps I'd better not say 
 any more about it. Let the whole thing drop." 
 
 " Much better. Then, if the Baronne really didn't 
 know about it, and makes the discovery, she is pretty 
 sure to tell you."
 
 THE FIRST ATTEMPT 51 
 
 " Exactly," agreed Vere, as they parted. 
 
 But as she slowly retraced her steps towards the 
 terrace, she was thinking that Raumont's explanation 
 had been just a shade too ready to be actuated by 
 ignorance. 
 
 CHAPTER VII THE FIRST ATTEMPT 
 
 THE Baronne and Vere were both already seated at 
 table in the glass balcony when Raumont, full of 
 apologies, hurried in. His hair had the appearance 
 of having been newly brushed, his hands smelt of 
 scented soap. He explained that he had remained 
 in his room all the morning to carry out an experi- 
 ment in analysis which he had promised to do for a 
 clinique in Geneva and had not hitherto found time 
 for. 
 
 Presently he turned to Vere, asking if she felt 
 inclined to walk with him to the Gueule de la Louve 
 after coffee and cigarettes. She eagerly accepted, 
 and they talked of the surrounding country all the 
 rest of the meal. As they rose from table, and 
 Raumont for a moment turned his back, she re- 
 marked that upon his coat, between the shoulders, 
 there was a large cobweb, sprinkled with sawdust, as 
 though he had come in contact with a dirty wall or 
 an old bin. 
 
 Madame noticed it instantly. " Tiens, Gilles, que 
 fais-tu done, avec cette toile d'araignee au dos ? " 
 
 He stared at her. " Spider's web ? On my 
 back ? " 
 
 She reached out her table-napkin, wiped off the 
 mess and showed it to him.
 
 52 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " I'm sure I beg pardon. Went out to the garage 
 to ask Branting about the car must have brushed 
 against the wall. These French are so infernally dirty 
 and untidy." 
 
 The Baronne replied with feeling that this was 
 very true. Her whole household were the same 
 Branting, for instance, who was supposed to do the 
 garden 
 
 "Ah, that reminds me! " cried Vere, " about the 
 tennis court! " She proceeded to say how badly it 
 needed sweeping and rolling, and asked if there was 
 a net, and so on. 
 
 It appeared that there was none. There had been 
 no Vere to cater for until then, as Aunt Diane smilingly 
 remarked. " I will ring up Geneva at once," said she, 
 " and tell them to send up an outfit by the early train 
 to-morrow. What about the customs, Gilles ? " 
 
 " I don't know if it's dutiable, but if it is, tell 
 them to pay it," said Gilles. " In return for lessons 
 in French from me, mademoiselle is to teach me 
 tennis." 
 
 " Isn't it a bit ridiculous for you to call me made- 
 moiselle ? " asked Vere. " Nobody does in England 
 I mean, not among intimate friends, and you are 
 my aunt's intimate friend, are you not ? " 
 
 His pale eyes dilated until they looked dark. It 
 altered all his face. " You mean I may call you 
 Vere ? " 
 
 " Why not ? " she asked, lighting her cigarette, with 
 both elbows on the table. " And I shall call you 
 Gilles save a lot of bother eh ? " 
 
 Aunt Diane seemed cogitating. "It is customary, 
 that, in England ? " she asked doubtfully. 
 
 " Absolutely," replied Vere indifferently, tossing her 
 match over the parapet.
 
 THE FIRST ATTEMPT 53 
 
 " Yes," said Raumont with studied calmness, " it 
 is quite customary, Diane." 
 
 A look passed between them ; on the lady's side 
 it was a keenly scrutinising look. 
 
 Vere, sharp as a needle, caught it, and said to 
 herself : " She did not bring me out here to annex 
 Gilles, that is very certain. Well, she may rest 
 assured I don't want him." Yet the very thought 
 was stimulating. To flirt a little with Aunt Diane's 
 pet young man might be amusing ; and Gilles was 
 interesting, she had to admit that. 
 
 Apparently the exchange of looks had reassured the 
 Baronne, who laughed rather satirically. " This 
 England is a different place since the war, yes ? " 
 she remarked. " However, please yourselves. You 
 go a walk together ? " 
 
 " We do," replied Gilles lightly, " and whilst Vere 
 puts on thick shoes, I'll go and telephone for the 
 tennis apparatus. How many balls, Vere ? " 
 
 " Oh, I think six would do. I brought six out with 
 me, as well as my racquet and shoes." 
 
 He had to own that he did not possess a racquet, 
 so they procured a catalogue, looked out prices and 
 discussed weight. When all was settled, they started 
 off, not towards the village, but behind the stables, 
 round the very edge of the Petite Louve, where, as 
 Vere now perceived, a narrow path had been cut in 
 the rock, winding downward, not to the valley that 
 lay between the mountains and Geneva, but round 
 the flank of the Petite Louve, eastward, to the wide 
 valley of the Arve that flows from Chamonix. 
 
 During the season this was a favourite walk for 
 tourists ; now in late September, they had it to 
 themselves. 
 
 The Gueule-de-Louve is a projection of the rock
 
 54 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 like a natural roof, right across the path, so low that 
 one can touch it. It has no support, and looks in 
 fact like a huge open jaw, as though it might close at 
 any moment, crunching those within. 
 
 It is not very far down from the chateau and, 
 having inspected it, neither felt willing to turn back. 
 Gilles suggested that they might go on until they 
 came to a mountain track leading off to the right, 
 which would lead them over the shoulder of the 
 Petite Louve to the Hotel Charmant, where they 
 could have tea, returning afterwards by the mountain 
 railroad. To this suggestion Vere agreed with alacrity, 
 and they continued their descent until they found 
 the take-off as Gilles described it. The path was 
 wild and steep, but beautiful, leading them round 
 until they found themselves facing eastward, across 
 the valley of the Arve to the vision of the mighty 
 peaks Mont Blanc, sleeping in white majesty, and 
 on his left the desolate and terrible monolith of the 
 Aiguille Verte standing on guard, as Vere remarked 
 most impressive of the whole range. 
 
 They sat down in the sunshine to contemplate it, 
 and a silence fell between them. It was broken by 
 Raumont, who said quietly : " And so Coverley met 
 you in the village this morning ? " 
 
 Vere looked up, astonished. " How did you 
 know ? " 
 
 " I thought I told you that I am a bit of a clair- 
 voyant ? " 
 
 " Piffle," said Vere rudely. " If you know, then 
 somebody told you." 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders. " As you please. Why 
 did not you tell me ? " 
 
 "Tell you what? That I met him? Why, I 
 forgot all about it. Is it so important ? "
 
 THE FIRST ATTEMPT 55 
 
 He smiled. "Of no importance at all, except in 
 so far as it affects you." 
 
 " Oh ! Then you intend to choose my friends for 
 me ? If so, you'll have your work cut out." 
 
 He sat a minute, watching her face, mirthful but 
 wary. Then : " Vere, are you trying to keep me out ? 
 Surely you are not so simple as to suppose that you 
 and I could meet, yet remain unchanged ? " 
 
 " I don't suppose anything at all about it why 
 should I ? " she laughed under her breath, gathering 
 up one or two of the scarlet leaves that lay about, 
 and fastening them in the ribbon of her hat which 
 lay in her lap. " One is influenced, so I'm told, by 
 everyone and everything one sees. As Ulysses said : 
 ' I am a part of all that I have met.' So you, too, will 
 doubtless be collected in my basket of experiences." 
 
 " Are you challenging me ? " he asked abruptly. 
 
 " Are you bullying me ? " she retorted, with an 
 upward glance of those disturbing, melting eyes. " I 
 give you due notice that bullying doesn't go with 
 me. It cuts no ice." 
 
 " You know already," he said in low, concentrated 
 tones, " that I can see into your mind. I swear to 
 you that nobody told me you had met Coverley this 
 morning. I divined it." 
 
 " An easy kind of divination," she commented 
 provokingly. " I should think it would be hard to 
 go into the village at any hour without meeting some 
 of the guests from the ' Charmant.' Where else is 
 there for them to go ? " 
 
 " Are you challenging me, then ? " 
 
 " If you claim to be Sherlock Holmes on such 
 poor grounds as an easy guess like that, I can go one 
 better," she countered daringly. " I know, by the 
 force of my psychic intuition, that you went down
 
 56 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 into the big wine-cellar this morning ; and afterwards 
 told a silly fib about it, to account for the cobweb 
 on your back." 
 
 This arrow went straight to the mark. Raumont 
 turned a dull red. " What are you talking about ? " 
 he muttered. 
 
 " If for some reason, Aunt Diane and you don't 
 want me to go down and look at the cellar, well and 
 good. I don't see any need to tell fibs about it." 
 
 " You think I don't wish you to see the cellar ? But 
 how ridiculous! On the contrary, however much I 
 may wonder at your tastes, I am most anxious to 
 gratify them. I went to see whether Diane was right 
 about supplies of wine being low. She was, and is 
 posting an order to-day. I'll take you down there 
 to-morrow." 
 
 She allowed herself to laugh then with some relish. 
 " Why, I don't much care, one way or the other ; 
 but confess, I did get a rise out of you, Gilles, didn't 
 I?" 
 
 His gaze was too piercing to be comfortable. " You 
 are rather wonderful," he murmured thoughtfully. 
 " I guessed as much when I saw your photo. I knew 
 it when I saw yourself." 
 
 " That's the kind of remark that shows you a 
 foreigner! No Englishman would ever give vent to 
 such sentiments." 
 
 " Sentiments ? " he repeated vaguely, as if his mind 
 were elsewhere. " You and I ought to work together, 
 not in opposition. With your help I could do ... 
 what couldn't I do ? Venture on experiments which 
 hitherto I haven't dared to touch, for lack of " 
 
 " An accomplice ? " 
 
 His gaze went through and past her. He was not 
 bantering now. " If you like to put it so. What
 
 THE FIRST ATTEMPT 57 
 
 does it matter ? There is only one thing that matters 
 that you and I should establish a rapport what 
 you call, make contact. ... I want to show you that 
 I am not an empty boaster. I'm a man who has 
 made discoveries, and they are important. Freud ? 
 Perhaps ! He was the pioneer. He blazed the trail ; 
 but I shall reach tracts of country he didn't even 
 map out! I am even on the way thither now." He 
 leaned towards her, speaking with intense feeling. 
 " I want to show you, to give you a demonstration. 
 Let me have your hand " 
 
 She drew away from him abruptly. 
 
 "Ah! " triumphantly. " You daren't. I knew it. 
 You are afraid." 
 
 " Does it show fear to dislike being pawed ? " 
 
 " Yes. You fear my ascendancy if you allow me 
 to touch you. If you were quite sure the whole thing 
 was bunkum, you'd give me your hand without think- 
 ing twice about it." 
 
 " What do you want to do ? " she asked with a 
 faint tinge of discomfort. 
 
 " Not to hurt nor to vex you be sure of that. 
 I want to test you. All I ask is that you should 
 give me your hand and close your eyes for a few 
 minutes one minute, or perhaps three, I cannot tell 
 beforehand exactly how long but until I bid you 
 open them. Then you promise to tell me what you 
 saw or pictured to yourself, while your eyes were 
 closed." 
 
 Vere glanced around her. The sun was warm upon 
 the hill-side and the scent of the wild thyme rose 
 from the roadside turf. The air was balm and the 
 whole scene peaceful and beautiful. Why not allow 
 an experiment ? He had dared her. " You'll play 
 fair?"
 
 58 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " If you doubt that, let us get up and go," he 
 answered brusquely, reaching for his stick. 
 
 " All right," hastily answered the girl. " Here's 
 my hand." 
 
 He had hardly taken it in his before she wished 
 to withdraw it ; but for very shame, having given it, 
 she would not snatch it away. 
 
 "Now close your eyes," she heard him say, very 
 gently ; and forthwith she closed them. " Try to 
 keep your mind empty be still ... be ... quite 
 . still . ." 
 
 Across such a gulf as comes after the taking of 
 gas in the dentist's chair, she heard his voice next 
 saying : 
 
 " Wake up, Vere! Open your eyes! " 
 
 She opened them with a gasp. Once more around 
 her she saw sunshine, the winding mountain path, 
 the rocks, the distant view. Gilles Raumont, white 
 as death, still held her hand in both his, which were 
 shaking. " Where have you been ? " he whispered. 
 
 " I have dreamt as one does under an anaesthetic," 
 she replied at once. " I dreamed I was standing 
 under a porch the porch of a house made of logs. 
 In the porch was a little recess, high up on the wall, 
 with the coloured statue of a saint on it. There was 
 deep snow all around. Behind the house was the 
 slope of a mountain, covered with dark fir woods. 
 I heard the tinkle of bells and a sleigh rushed up, 
 drawn by a team of great dogs like wolves. You 
 were there you were driving. You brought them 
 to a stand before the door and a lady came from the 
 porch, with a woolly shawl wrapped round her head 
 so that I could hardly see her face. You had a round
 
 THE FIRST ATTEMPT 59 
 
 fur cap and a fur coat and fur mittens. You said 
 something to her in French, that I couldn't under- 
 stand. A man who had been with you in the sleigh 
 got out. He had a sulky face and looked ill. He 
 ordered the dogs to move ' Allez ! ' he said, just as 
 they do hereabouts. He and the dogs and the sleigh 
 ran off, and you went inside the house with your 
 mother." 
 
 "Good!" he said. "You have seen the place 
 where I was born and brought up, at Tracassee des 
 Eaux, in Ontario. I knew I could make you see it, 
 and you saw it ! Now what have you to say ? " 
 
 For a minute or two she was in no state to say 
 anything. Her head was swimming and she felt a 
 great lassitude. But after a while, he sitting in sym- 
 pathetic silence, she pulled herself together and asked 
 petulantly : 
 
 " Well what of it ? " 
 
 He looked surprised. " What of it ? " 
 
 " Yes. Either I'm a good medium, or you have 
 unusual hypnotic power. You enabled me to see into 
 your mind. But that is no use. No use at all ; for 
 I could only see what was there already what you 
 know of I could not discover anything." 
 
 He smiled tolerantly. " That is but a beginning. 
 If I can show you what is in my mind, why not what 
 is in the mind of someone else ? The point is, you 
 saw what I wished you to see. With a very little 
 practice, I make of you the greatest medium in Europe. 
 Your portrait in all the papers your fees there is 
 nothing they will not pay you. You will be great 
 rich sought after and see how easy it was. I had 
 but to take your hand " 
 
 " You will never take it again, I promise you that ! " 
 she muttered in helpless anger.
 
 60 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " No ? " He sighed, shrugged his shoulders and 
 rose. " Not even to help you up ? We ought to be 
 going on." 
 
 He held out his hands with a charming smile of 
 invitation. Vere leaped to her feet without any 
 assistance. " I'm not a cripple," she said snappishly, 
 " though I dare say I should quickly grow helpless if 
 I were to accept the destiny you suggest ! ' ' 
 
 She strode rapidly off, and he followed without a 
 word. After a while she turned to him. 
 
 " I'm a fool to be angry with you, Gilles, when 
 really it's myself that enrages me. Will you promise 
 not to speak of this that just happened ? Not to 
 remind me of it ? I hate all that kind of thing, but 
 if I hadn't yielded, it would have been all right. It 
 was my fault, and I want to forget it." 
 
 " By all means," he replied amiably, " let us both 
 forget it ... if we can." 
 
 CHAPTER VIII A SERMON 
 
 As you entered the chateau, on your left was a square 
 hall, which the hotel-keepers had boarded off to serve 
 as an office, and the Baronne had again thrown open, 
 furnishing it with arm-chairs and Oriental rugs. On 
 the right was an ugly, stiff salon, seldom used, with 
 the staircase beyond it. On the left, behind the hall, 
 was a dark passage leading to the salle a manger and 
 kitchens ; and at the back of the house a warm, 
 untidy, rather gloomy room which Aunt Diane called 
 her boudoir and used a good deal. 
 
 It was the only room in the house with an open 
 grate ; and at night, when the view of the stable-yard
 
 ASERMON Ol 
 
 was shut out, it was comfortable in the queer way 
 in which the whole place was comfortable. 
 
 On their return from their walk, Raumont went 
 straight to this room, where the Baronne was resting 
 after tea. Vere felt certain that he had hastened to 
 report the marvellous, instantaneous hypnotism of 
 herself ; and the thought made her uneasy. 
 
 Even in September the chateau was dark and cold 
 except at midday, and the central heating was always 
 put on at three o'clock ; thus Vere's room was always 
 warm and cosy, and she already felt much at home 
 therein. 
 
 This afternoon, she flung down the hat and gloves 
 which Zelie would duly collect later, and sank into 
 her arm-chair, giving herself up to a vexation as 
 intense as it was futile. 
 
 She, always so sure of herself, always so inde- 
 pendent she had succumbed to Gilles Raumont ; 
 and so quickly, so easily! It had been practically 
 instantaneous. The man had only had to take her 
 by the hand, to order her to close her eyes, and she 
 became his instrument. 
 
 Truly her instinct had guided her aright when she 
 had thought of him as formidable ! Henceforth she 
 must be on her guard against him ceaselessly. An 
 awful thought leaped into her brain. Suppose he had, 
 in that minute or two on the hill-side, done all that 
 was necessary ? Suppose he had established what he 
 called " rapport" t She had heard of cases where a 
 man could summon his subjects to come to him and 
 they went, hardly knowing what impulse moved 
 them. 
 
 Weak-minded, weak-willed fools ! Such bondage as 
 that was not for Verona Merton ! . . . Yet shot 
 through all her anger was a secret vanity. She was
 
 62 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 undoubtedly a marvellous subject for experiment I 
 The vision which had come to her was so distinct that 
 the reawakening to the sunlit mountain-side had 
 seemed to be the dream. She guessed that Raumont, 
 even in his probably wide experience, could not often 
 have come across a temperament so perfectly attuned 
 to his. 
 
 Remembering his words about her photo, she began 
 to wonder whether she had been sent for from England 
 with this object in view. 
 
 It was easy to imagine his saying to the Baronne 
 that he was in need of an ornamental girl to serve as 
 a medium, and her replying : " I have a young great- 
 niece, of mixed blood let us send for her picture, 
 and if she looks likely, have her over and try! " 
 
 That was not a nice thought, but it was not unlikely 
 to be true. More incensed than ever, the girl rose, 
 went to her mirror and stared angrily at the reflection 
 therein. 
 
 The long oval face, with pointed chin, giving a 
 more or less pathetic expression the passionate 
 Southern eyes conveying a hint of secret things the 
 mouth . . . Vere rather thought her mouth was her 
 best feature. It had never needed lip-stick. 
 
 It seemed obvious to her, contemplating that image, 
 that this girl's destiny was not to become a hypno- 
 tist's medium. She remembered Coverley's words, 
 when she had contemptuously repudiated the idea of 
 being influenced by Raumont. " I'm not ill! " she 
 had said flippantly. " Never mind, I'm warning you," 
 had been his retort. 
 
 She had scorned the warning. In a few heedless 
 moments she had perhaps taken an irrevocable step. 
 But she was now on her guard oh, absolutely ! . . . 
 
 . . . Was that what Raumont had done to Coverley ?
 
 ASERMON 63 
 
 Had he tried to use him in the same way, and had 
 Coverley escaped ? Vere felt half inclined to tell 
 him what had happened when next she saw him. 
 Meanwhile it was perhaps salutary for her to have 
 been so easily humbled, so swiftly overcome. It 
 had shown her her weakness. No second time, she 
 vowed inwardly as she flung herself back into her 
 chair, took up her French novel and dictionary, and 
 strove to turn the current of her thoughts. 
 
 When she came down to dinner she found a guest, 
 a young Frenchman called Malot, with whom she had 
 danced the evening before. He could speak very 
 little English, so the talk was mostly French ; and 
 after dinner they played " Plafond," the French con- 
 tract bridge, which is an easy game at which to lose 
 money, since the scoring mounts so high. It hap- 
 pened, however, that Vere held good cards all the 
 time, and she rose from table in good spirits, winner 
 of quite a number of francs. Not a word was said of 
 her afternoon's experience, either by Gilles or Aunt 
 Diane, who were both at their very best and most 
 amiable. The girl went to bed a good deal reassured. 
 
 But when she was tucked up in her big four-poster, 
 she was assailed by a new uneasiness. Although she 
 felt perfectly competent to keep Gilles at bay when 
 awake, there was the dark possibility that he could 
 influence her during sleep ! A horrible thought ! But 
 it seemed to her there was no help for it. She cer- 
 tainly could not remain indefinitely awake ; and, 
 moreover, she had received the impression that he 
 was anxious to soothe and reassure her, so that he 
 would be most unlikely to experiment further so soon. 
 She took one precaution. Creeping from bed she 
 locked her door and withdrew the key, which she 
 hid in a locked drawer.
 
 64 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 It seemed probable that she could not easily be 
 made to leave the room against her will if she had to 
 go and seek the key. The clock in the stable-yard 
 chimed two as she crept back to bed. Just as drowsi- 
 ness was creeping deliciously over her she became 
 conscious of hearing something unusual. It was not 
 at all distinct, in fact it seemed to come from a distance ; 
 a muffled beating or knocking or clanging, as if 
 builders were at work. 
 
 There was no house near enough to the chateau for 
 sounds from elsewhere to be audible, and at first she 
 felt sure that the reverberations more shocks than 
 actual sounds must be produced in the building 
 itself, though she felt it unlikely that her aunt, a poor 
 sleeper, should not be aroused by any unwonted 
 noise, however muffled, at two o'clock in the morning. 
 Then an explanation presented itself. The railway 
 ran not more than half a mile away, and there was 
 the mouth of a tunnel . . . she remembered having 
 seen a gang of mechanics there that very day. They 
 must be working a night shift. This solution con- 
 tented her, and she fell asleep almost at once. 
 
 Next morning she mentioned what she had heard. 
 Neither her aunt nor Raumont had been awakened, 
 but they agreed with her that work in the railway 
 tunnel would certainly account for muffled noise. 
 Sound, said Raumont, travelled up from the valley 
 in a remarkable way and, with the wind in a certain 
 quarter, the shunting of cars at Veyrier could be 
 distinctly heard. 
 
 After this, nearly a week passed without excitement. 
 Vere grew used to French hours, French customs, and 
 the inflection of French voices. She also made pro- 
 gress with her knowledge of the language. Gilles took 
 away " L' Affaire Blaireau " and substituted " L'Oncle
 
 ASERMON 65 
 
 Marc." As Gyp's French is very easy and the story 
 light and amusing, Vere read it quite fast. 
 
 On the second day after the mountain walk, the 
 tennis outfit arrived. They cleared the court, erected 
 netting, and she and Gilles played a couple of singles. 
 
 It turned out that he was not a bad player, though 
 Vere could easily beat him ; and they decided that 
 they would invite others to play as soon as the court 
 had had a bit more rolling. 
 
 A store of wine also arrived and was duly placed in 
 the cellar, which Vere was then invited to inspect. It 
 was certainly a fine place, circular in shape, with a 
 great pier left in the centre to uphold the roof, which 
 was cut into ribbed vaultings. The walls were piled 
 high with casks which had once contained the wine 
 of the country. These had been accumulated by the 
 hotel-keeper, and were empty. There were so many 
 that Madame had not thought it worth while to have 
 them taken away. 
 
 Vere would have dismissed the whole matter from 
 her thoughts but for the unnecessary fib told by Gilles 
 on the subject. 
 
 The next time she went into Sannetier, Raumont 
 accompanied her. They did espy Coverley, but only 
 from a distance. He was accompanied by the padre, 
 Hardcastle, who when he saw Vere left his com- 
 panion, ran and caught them up. 
 
 After a hearty greeting of both he said : "It 
 occurred to me when I saw you, Miss Merton, that 
 being English, you might be glad to know that I am 
 holding a service celebrating at the hotel on Sunday 
 that is, to-morrow." He added the hour at which 
 the service would be held. 
 
 Vere hesitated. Like most girls of her day she was 
 filled with a profound religious indifference, and 
 
 E
 
 66 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 although at home, to avoid shocking " the old bean," 
 she had usually made one perfunctory attendance on 
 Sunday unless out motoring for the day, she had rather 
 hoped to escape this in France. Assuming, however, 
 that she would wish to go, Raumont was courteously 
 willing to help. " There's a lady's bicycle up at the 
 chateau, Vere, if you like to go. You could run down 
 in ten minutes and take your time coming back." 
 
 On this, loath to disappoint Hardcastle, whom she 
 liked, she agreed to go ; and the padre ran back to 
 his companion, they being on their way to keep an 
 appointment for which they were already late. 
 
 On Sunday, when Vere went to fetch the bicycle, 
 which she had got ready the previous evening, she 
 found the car at the door and Gilles awaiting her. 
 
 " Hope you don't mind my company. Madame 
 wants me to go down to the hotel and interview old 
 General Leblanc," said he, " so as the car was going, 
 it seemed better for us both to use it. Also, we get 
 back in better time." 
 
 Vere could but agree, but there was a rising revolt 
 in her. 
 
 She had no intention of being policed by Gilles. 
 On the other hand, to speak too soon would be most 
 impolitic, for the signs of any kind of surveillance 
 were at present quite slight. 
 
 Gilles disappeared as soon as they entered the 
 hotel, and she went to the service alone. There 
 were about thirty people present, many from hotels 
 in Sannetier and Sannetier-Bas. Hardcastle preached 
 a short sermon, and she was glad she had come. 
 There was nothing conventional in his talk any more 
 than there was in himself. His subject was the per- 
 sistent calling of God to men, unheard, misunderstood, 
 neglected. He took as his text : " The Lord, even
 
 ASERMON 67 
 
 the most mighty God hath spoken and called the world, 
 from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof." 
 It was the theme of the greatest of all modern poems, 
 " The Hound of Heaven " God Himself not as the 
 sought but as the Seeker the Pursuer, not the pursued. 
 He spoke of the silent messages sent through Nature 
 the sunrise and sunset the outgoing of the morning 
 and the evening. The girl with her quick, restless 
 mind, not really shallow but superficial and unstable, 
 was attracted by a line of thought which was new to 
 her. 
 
 Coverley was awaiting her as she passed out, and 
 she asked him : " Why don't people oftener preach 
 like that ? I mean, why don't they put an idea before 
 you to consider ? Usually preaching seems such waste 
 of time, just talking talking platitudes " 
 
 " It isn't everybody who has Hardcastle's ability," 
 replied Coverley, smiling. " He has got a way with 
 him, hasn't he ? Look here ! He and I want you 
 to stay and lunch as our guest, will you ? Lake trout, 
 chicken and iced pudding, you know, all just as it 
 should be and we might have a talk " 
 
 "Oh, I should love to!" She hesitated. "I 
 wonder if I ought ! Aunt Diane sent me down in 
 the car, and I'm afraid she wants me to go straight 
 back. Monsieur Raumont is here too " 
 
 " That so ? Well, we'll include him in our invita- 
 tion," said Coverley, quite readily. " Here he comes, 
 let us ask him." 
 
 Gilles, when consulted, said that he would have 
 liked it above all things, but unfortunately there were 
 guests to lunch at the chateau and he had promised 
 the Baronne to come straight back after the service. 
 
 "Of course, if you like to stay ?" he turned 
 
 courteously to Vere.
 
 68 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " No," said she, " if Tante Diane has friends coming, 
 I know she would wish me to go back. But ask me 
 again, you two! I'd love to come! 
 
 They parted with cordiality on all sides, and there 
 was no triumph at all in Raumont's manner as they 
 drove home. Moreover, when they reached the castle, 
 there actually were visitors to lunch, friends from 
 Geneva to whom she was introduced with evident pride 
 by her aunt. 
 
 They were an elderly, somewhat gross couple, of a 
 nationality not easy to define. They spoke English 
 fluently, with a vile accent, and their name sounded 
 like Willitz. " Austrian, I presume," said Vere to 
 herself. They ate enormously, and played Plafond 
 all the afternoon with a skill and an intensity that were 
 too much for Vere, who was able to leave the four to 
 their game, and wander off by herself into the gardens 
 and out upon one of the mountain paths. 
 
 " They didn't really want me a bit," she reflected, 
 " but Gilles was determined I shouldn't stay to lunch 
 at the 'Charmant.' All right! See if I don't! He 
 thinks he's got an easy proposition, but I'll show 
 him he's up against something harder than he 
 expects ! ' ' 
 
 CHAPTER IX LADY BILLIE ENTERTAINS 
 
 FOR a couple of days the weather turned sulky, and 
 that mist which is so frequent an autumnal visitor 
 to Geneva, floated over everything. The valley was 
 blotted out and when one looked from the windows 
 the castle seemed to be pushing, like the prow of a 
 lonely ship, through a waveless sea.
 
 LADY BILLIE ENTERTAINS 69 
 
 " Come up and look at my den in the tower," said 
 Gilles to Vere, who was knitting her brows over " Le 
 Crime de Silvestre Bonnard." 
 
 "Right-o!" cried she, glad of any diversion. 
 
 " I've always wanted to go up the little staircase " 
 
 Then, as she caught a gleam in the man's eye, she 
 suddenly recollected the need of precaution. They 
 were all sitting in the boudoir, and she danced up to 
 Aunt Diane and flung her arms round her. " Come 
 along, let us make Gilles give us tea up in his eyrie," 
 said she, " something to do on a dull afternoon ! 
 I'll be bound he keeps a kettle and cups up there ! " 
 
 The Baronne, after an instant's hesitation, assented, 
 and they all mounted the winding stone stair together. 
 The tower was the only relic of the earliest chateau 
 of the d'Almier family. Gilles Raumont's room had 
 windows on three sides, but the fourth, which looked 
 backward on the stable yard, was blocked by a book- 
 case which stood before it. 
 
 It was not a bad room, but contained rather un- 
 interesting furniture shallow nests of drawers and 
 cabinets such as one finds in a doctor's consulting 
 room. 
 
 There were comfortable chairs, however, and a 
 table which the owner of the room cleared of obstruc- 
 tions. Vere had insisted upon obtaining a tray with 
 cups, biscuits, cakes, etc., and set herself to make 
 tea upon the curious little iron stove which glowed 
 with heat, and had a flat top upon which stood two 
 or three kettles and a couple of aluminium saucepans. 
 
 While the kettle was boiling, Raumont showed the 
 tiny staircase in the thickness of the wall that led up 
 to his bedroom. " I actually have a bath up there," 
 he announced triumphantly. " This little stove heats 
 a hot- water cylinder it's very dodgy ! When I first
 
 70 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 came to stay at the chateau, Herr Wasserufer wanted 
 some chemical experiments tried, and fitted me up 
 with a miniature laboratory ! Convenient eh ? I've 
 done quite a lot of work here." 
 
 Vere was not much interested in the glass retorts 
 and delicate pans and tubes. " How can anybody 
 have the patience to be a doctor ? " she cried. 
 
 " What would you be, if you were allowed to follow 
 any profession you liked ? " asked the Baronne. 
 
 " Secret service," replied Vere at once. " Risk 
 adventure the solution of mysteries " 
 
 She saw a glance pass between the two. " Then 
 you have no objection to spying ? " 
 
 Vere hesitated. " One doesn't like the notion " 
 
 she began slowly. 
 
 " But secret service consists almost entirely in 
 spying," said Raumont crisply. " Forcing people's 
 desks, rifling their clothes, stealing their papers, 
 reading their letters, overhearing their talk, lying, 
 creeping, worming yourself into the confidence of those 
 you mean to betray " 
 
 " It doesn't sound very noble," she admitted, " but 
 it is a game of outwitting. The people you set out 
 to shadow are not themselves high-minded people, 
 they are criminals " 
 
 " Oh, not necessarily. Probably they are merely 
 acting for the other side the opposing forces " 
 
 " Well, take the women detectives in in novels," 
 began Vere weakly. " They have such fun, and are 
 quite quite all right, you know " 
 
 " Quaite naice ? " mimicked Gilles mischievously. 
 
 Vere was angry. Somehow since her surrender the 
 man conveyed to her the impression that he thought 
 of her as a silly child. 
 
 " Oh, help ! " said she, " am I a Victorian ? "
 
 LADY BILLIE ENTERTAINS 71 
 
 " No, no. The Victorians at least were logical," 
 laughed the Baronne in that irritating way she had. 
 " They did not know everything, but then they did 
 not claim to. They knew thoroughly what they did 
 know." 
 
 " Such as that God never intended men to fly or 
 women to be free ! " cut in Vere, really nettled ; and 
 Gilles made a face at her as he burst into laughter. 
 
 " Little fury, the kettle is boiling over ! " 
 
 Vere laughed too, as she went over to the stove 
 and proceeded with her tea-making. " You may 
 jeer," she said, " but you know that women have been 
 of the greatest use in the secret service " 
 
 " I grant you that," replied Aunt Diane bluntly, 
 " when they didn't know they were being used." 
 
 " Didn't know they were being used ? " 
 
 " Yes. Women should be unconscious tools if they 
 are tools at all," was the calm reply as Madame lit 
 one of her endless Russian cigarettes. 
 
 " I didn't say I should like to be a tool," replied 
 Vere, who was more in earnest than she had thought 
 when the talk began. " The girls of whom I have 
 read were not tools. They were professional women, 
 working on their own you know that wonderful one 
 of Hulbert Footner's I forget her name and the 
 delightful girls in the ' Ghost Hunters ' " 
 
 " Oh, there's a glamour about it as one reads, I 
 grant," admitted Raumont, " but I think the gilt 
 would be off the gingerbread if you really had to do 
 what the girl did in ' The Under Dogs.' Picture it 
 for yourself " 
 
 " Oh, you've read it ! " cried Vere, and the talk 
 resolved itself into a discussion of detective fiction. 
 
 Not a word was said of psycho-analysis, psychiatry, 
 nor any other disturbing force. Vere, as she sat facing
 
 72 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 the well-filled book-cases, could not help reading the 
 titles of all the most recent works on the subject, 
 and, still burning with the desire to show herself 
 clever and independent, she presently rose, went to 
 the shelves, and asked Raumont to recommend her 
 a good book on the subject. 
 
 There was an instant's pause before he left his chair 
 and came to her side. However, he treated her 
 request with the utmost courtesy, asked what aspect 
 of the matter she most desired to study, and discussed 
 several of the books with her with no sign that she 
 could detect of patronage. Finally he recommended 
 an English translation of a book written, he admitted, 
 for beginners, but for intelligent beginners, which 
 gave, he thought, the first principles more clearly and 
 concisely than any other. The writer was a doctor, 
 a man of the highest ability and integrity. He handed 
 her the book, attractively bound, and illustrated with 
 portraits of the great pioneers of the modern study of 
 psychology. 
 
 Madame rose almost immediately afterwards and 
 asked Vere to go downstairs with her to discuss some 
 patterns from which she wished to make a choice for 
 re-covering furniture ; and Vere cleared up tea and 
 went down with her book under her arm, feeling that 
 she was taking just the right tone with Gilles and 
 that he was not going to be tiresome any more, because 
 he saw that it would be of no use. 
 
 Next morning the mists rolled away in the most 
 obliging manner, and at half-past ten they set out 
 in the car for Geneva. 
 
 Lord and Lady Billie, installed in a somewhat 
 futurist flat, welcomed them warmly, and intro- 
 duced them to a polished gentleman of middle age, 
 railed Simpson, who advised one of the delegations on
 
 LADY BILLIE ENTERTAINS 73 
 
 jurisprudence, and also to a very decorative young 
 lady who was secretary to somebody in the Kilistrian 
 embassy. 
 
 Lady Billie looked, so Vere thought, even prettier 
 by daylight than she had done at the dance. Her 
 greeting was genuinely cordial. " Oh," she mur- 
 mured in Vere's ear, " it is so priceless to meet some- 
 body English who isn't out here with a Purpose (capital 
 P) and has no axe to grind you haven't, have you ? " 
 
 " Not even a pocket-knife," replied Vere at once. 
 " I'm out here to lark around, and you needn't trot 
 out any highbrow stunts for me. Just let me bask 
 a bit that's all I ask ! " 
 
 " Same here," confided Jo sympathetically. 
 " We've only just got through a most inadequate 
 honeymoon, and I'm still in an awful ' we-won't-go- 
 home-till-morning ' frame of mind. What shall we 
 do, you and I ? Can't you come and stay with me a 
 few days ? Billy goes off, disappears about ten every 
 morning, doesn't get back to lunch one day in a week, 
 and loafs home dead beat about five, just as I'm 
 beginning to tune up! And what's he been doing 
 all the time ? Sitting in badly ventilated halls, 
 listening to hot air from Nicaragua or Kamschatka or 
 Timbuctoo or somewhere ! People have no right to 
 national aspirations if they live in places like that, 
 have they ? " 
 
 " Done with you," replied Vere heartily. " I want 
 to go to the pictures and on the lake and dance 
 and dine and flirt and generally jazz a bit. Can one 
 do that in Geneva ? I always have pictured it as a 
 place where noncomformist ministers in black coats, 
 with white bands under their chins go about casting 
 up their eyes." 
 
 " It's still like that really, only we camouflage a bit
 
 74 THE AFFAIK AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 nowadays. The League is packed with vegetarian 
 cranks who have pocket gospels of their own and 
 never smile. Hallo, here's Dr. Coverley, that makes 
 our party complete ! " 
 
 Coverley came in with an air of nervousness, as 
 though not certain of himself. Jo greeted him charm- 
 ingly, in a manner calculated to put any man at his 
 ease. 
 
 " It was good of you, Lady Billie, to send the car to 
 Veyrier for me." 
 
 " Why," said the Baronne pleasantly, "if we had 
 known you were coming, Doctor, we could have 
 brought you quite easily." 
 
 " So you might," replied Lady Billie, " Perhaps 
 you could take him home ? " 
 
 " Well " hesitating " we are going out on the 
 lake after lunch and I'm not sure what time we'll be 
 back " 
 
 " I'm going with you if you'll have me, and I'll take 
 Dr. Coverley as my escort," quoth Jo gaily. " Come, 
 Doctor or Ned let it be Ned Billie always talks 
 about you as Ned if you haven't any dreadfully 
 binding engagement, do come along with us and have 
 a really useless, jolly afternoon ? " 
 
 Coverley looked confused, and stammered a little, as 
 though feebly fumbling for a reason to enable him to 
 decline. Then he caught the eye of Vere, who was 
 eagerly listening, and suddenly his resistance broke 
 down. He said he would like to come very much. 
 
 " Simpson wants to go too," put in Lord Billie, 
 " that will make you a party of six, just the right 
 number! Now, Simpson, will you take in my wife? 
 Baronne, may I have the honour ? Raumont Miss 
 Rilescu Ned, you take the babe, the Baronne's 
 niece or is it step-niece, Baronne ? You must
 
 LADY BILLIE ENTERTAINS 75 
 
 have been in your nursery when Miss Merton was 
 born! " 
 
 Madame d'Almier made a laughing reply, but 
 nevertheless the flattery pleased her and put her in a 
 good humour. The lunch was a success. As the table 
 was round, the fact that they were eight made no 
 difference, they could sit alternately, and Vere found 
 herself between Ned Coverley and Mr. Simpson. 
 
 As the latter was completely taken up with Jo, and 
 Coverley had the Baronne on his other side, Vere and 
 he were able to talk quite easily, and they made 
 progress in acquaintanceship. The Baronne and Lord 
 Billie, with Miss Rilescu who sat on his other side, 
 were deep in Kilistrian politics, and Lord Billie was 
 most anxious in his inquiries respecting the arrival 
 of Herr Wasserufer. 
 
 " I'm expecting him any day," said Aunt Diane, 
 " in fact I should not be surprised to find him arrived 
 when we return home this evening." 
 
 " Well, I want to see him as soon as possible after 
 his arrival." 
 
 " Will you come up to the chateau to-morrow on 
 the chance ? Or the following day ? " 
 
 " Can't be done, Baronne, I'm afraid. I'm slog- 
 ging away at the office in a fashion which makes my 
 wife utter the most blood-curdling threats. We al- 
 ways do find ourselves very much pushed during the 
 few weeks after the full session is over. What I want 
 is for Herr Wasserufer to come and dine here, if he 
 will, for I know he must be as anxious as we are to 
 have these matters settled." 
 
 So much Vere overheard, but lost the thread as she 
 and Coverley began to talk in earnest. 
 
 The afternoon on the lake was delightful. Jo, 
 without seeming to manoeuvre at all, yet contrived
 
 76 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 that the Baronne was paired off with Mr. Simpson 
 most of the time, while she herself monopolised Rau- 
 mont, leaving Coverley for Vere. Lady Billie's sharp 
 eyes had instantly seen that Coverley was captivated 
 by the girl, and felt sure that Vere must have quite 
 enough of Raumont up at the chateau. 
 
 Nothing passed between Vere and Coverley on the 
 subject of the vaults under the chateau, nor concern- 
 ing Raumont and his hypnotic power. They talked 
 very much on the surface, but with a consciousness on 
 both sides that talk between them had a keenness, a 
 significance, which ordinary talk has not. The man 
 was determined that Vere should dine with himself 
 and the padre, and he told her that, as there were still 
 more than a dozen young people staying in the hotel 
 and others in the various pensions at Sannetier, the 
 " boss " of the ' Charmant ' had said they might have 
 another dance if they would provide a musician. 
 This had been arranged, and a date had been fixed. 
 
 Coverley's suggestion was that they should have a 
 party for dinner first to which they could invite 
 both Vere and Raumont. " We'll try and get the 
 Armitages too," he said, " but anyhow, we'll have a 
 party of twelve or so, and dance afterwards. You 
 were good enough to say the other night that my 
 dancing would pass muster." 
 
 " Pass muster! You dance jolly well! It will be 
 great, and it's so nice of you to think of giving me 
 pleasure! I've got another scheme that you might 
 help me to bring off. You know it will be full moon 
 the end of this week. Wouldn't it be topping to start 
 off about midnight and walk up to Cinq Erables to 
 watch the dawn ? We could breakfast at the cafe 
 by the terminus and come down on the first train." 
 
 " My word, that's an idea ! And that would appeal
 
 LADY BILLIE ENTERTAINS 77 
 
 to Charles the padre, you know. I'll talk to him 
 about it and get him to fix it up. We ought to be 
 four of us you and I and Charles and there's a 
 delightful Englishwoman at the hotel, a Miss Drew, 
 who would be game, I know. Would the Baronne 
 let you come ? " 
 
 Vere looked surprised. " Why, could she object ? 
 Is it done ? " 
 
 He smiled. " I expect you have her in training by 
 this time." 
 
 " Oh, give me a bit longer, this isn't England ; but 
 the mere fact of my being so English that I can hardly 
 descry any other manners or customs, gives me a sort 
 of pull, doesn't it ? " 
 
 " I hope so," he said slowly ; and it seemed as if he 
 wanted to say more, but refrained. He was as a fact 
 keenly anxious to make sure that she remained unin- 
 fluenced by Raumont ; but he could not feel any 
 certainty on the point. It depended so much upon 
 Raumont's attitude towards her ; and what that was 
 he had that afternoon so far not had much chance to 
 determine. A while later, there was an incident 
 which disturbed him. 
 
 They had disembarked at Ouchy, had tea, and were 
 returning over the twilit lake, in a scene of such beauty 
 as to be almost overpowering. Coverley was sitting 
 beside Vere, who, with some others of the party had 
 moved from under the awning in order to have an 
 uninterrupted view. 
 
 Gilles, who had seen it all so many times before, had 
 remained where he was, facing those who sat against 
 the gunwale. 
 
 Coverley saw Vere, who was leaning an elbow on 
 the rail lost in reverie, suddenly turn her head as 
 though someone had called her. She looked across
 
 78 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 at Gilles. He was sitting quite easily, leaning slightly 
 forward, his eyes fixed on her. At once she arose 
 from her seat and went to him, making some trivial 
 remark about the air having grown chilly. 
 
 With a very slight smile he made room for her at 
 his side, and began to talk. 
 
 That was all ; but Coverley, who knew his methods, 
 felt a sinking of the heart. 
 
 CHAPTER X UNCLE LOO 
 
 As farewells were being exchanged by the lakeside, 
 where the car awaited the Baronne's party, Vere be- 
 came aware that her aunt had accepted an invitation 
 for her to return to Geneva the following day, on a 
 visit to the Armitages. 
 
 " Oh, but, Aunt Diane," cried she, " of course I 
 shall love to go and stay with Jo, but can't it be next 
 week ? This Saturday is full moon and we've got a 
 most scrumptious plan to walk up the Grande Louve 
 to see the sun rise ! ' ' 
 
 " Oh ? " The Baronne did not look particularly 
 pleased. " Who is the party ? " 
 
 " Three guests from the ' Charmant ' and myself," 
 replied Vere, " and, Aunt Diane, did you know, there 
 is to be another dance, an extra one, next week ? " 
 
 " Well, you will be back for that," said Aunt Diane 
 reflectively, " but you must give up your moonlit 
 ramble ; unless" her face cleared " why should not 
 Lord and Lady Billie come back here with you for the 
 week-end ? Then they too could take part in the 
 expedition ? " 
 
 Jo eagerly said that she would like nothing better,
 
 UNCLELOO 79 
 
 and she believed that Billie might manage it. They 
 could drive up on Saturday afternoon, if the Baronne 
 really meant her invitation to be accepted. 
 
 " But of course," was the cordial response. " By- 
 the-way, I hope you won't mind garaging your car 
 and man at the Hotel des Erables just our end of 
 Sannetier village ? You know our stabling up at 
 d'Almier is so absurdly small, we have no room for an 
 extra car, as Luitpold is certain to be back by then, 
 and he brings his own two-seater and his own man." 
 
 " Well, I shall have to ask Billie of course. ..." 
 
 " Leave him to me," cried Vere. " I'll make his 
 life such a burden that he'll give in for peace and 
 quiet." 
 
 "Right-o! Stout fella! " rejoined Jo light-heart- 
 edly. "Between us, he'll be nowhere, poor chap! 
 And he fancies himself as a diplomatist." 
 
 " Very rightly," replied the Baronne seriously, 
 " my husband thinks most highly of him. Quite 
 one of the rising men. Well, then, good-bye. We 
 will pack this wild girl off to you by the eleven o'clock 
 train to-morrow, and you'll send the car to Veyrier 
 for her." 
 
 Coverley had said nothing during this discussion, 
 but Vere guessed by his expression that he had no 
 objection to the enlarging of the moonlit party by the 
 addition of the Armitages ; though she suspected that 
 he did not at all want Raumont. She herself was not 
 afraid that Gilles might wish to come, because he was 
 not a good walker or climber. 
 
 There was some talk as they drove home, of the 
 time it would take and the hour at which they ought 
 to set out, and Gilles made it clear that he did not 
 propose to be of the party. Vere had been a little 
 apprehensive at the way in which her aunt first
 
 80 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 received the news of the intended excursion. She re- 
 minded herself that she was here by her aunt's kindness, 
 and after all, some show of submission to her wishes 
 must be observed. However, when, after they had 
 dropped Coverley at the "Charmant" on the way up, 
 she turned to her aunt with an affectionate little 
 apology, Madame assured her that she was quite 
 pleased for her to go. " The padre is going and that 
 is a guarantee," said she, " but it is perhaps best, 
 while you are here, that you let me know first about 
 the engagements you wish to make, lest I may have 
 planned something that would clash." 
 
 " I quite see that," replied Vere impetuously, 
 " you are so good to me, I should be a little cat if I did 
 anything against your wish." 
 
 As they drew up at the door of the chateau, it 
 opened, releasing a flood of lamplight ; and there 
 stood on the threshold a short, rather corpulent man, 
 waving his hands in welcome. 
 
 " Luitpold ! " cried the Baronne ; and Gilles, jump- 
 ing nimbly out, assisted her to alight. 
 
 " And where is now the leetle English niece ? " 
 cried Wasserufer, as soon as he had embraced his wife. 
 
 Somewhat to Vere's embarrassment, she was en- 
 veloped in a hearty embrace and kissed soundly on 
 both cheeks. 
 
 " Well, well, well," said Uncle Luitpold (but it was 
 almost " veil, veil, veil! "), "so you have had this up 
 your sleeve, Diane, my friend, all these years! And 
 only now is the old uncle allowed a sight of it ! We 
 will be great friends, is it not so, dear little one ? We 
 begin to have what you call a good time not true ? " 
 
 Vere laughed, not at all displeased, and looked her 
 prettiest, with her colour slightly heightened and her 
 lips parted in hilarity. " I'm having the time of my
 
 UNCLELOO 8l 
 
 life already," said she. " Aunt Diane is the right sort ! 
 I tell you, I'm just beginning to live ! " 
 
 "Come, that is fine that is excellent! Up here 
 in the wild mountains, where it is the fancy of that 
 tyrannical woman " he waved a hand at his wife 
 " to come and hide herself even here you still find 
 life goot ? You are the little girl after my heart, as 
 the English say. Oh, we shall get on well together. 
 I shall push out Gilles from your favour, so you shall 
 lof the old uncle best in the long chase ! " He laughed 
 with pleasure, taking her face between his hands. 
 " Diane," he said in tones suddenly grave, " it is a 
 little beauty, this one." 
 
 The Baronne laughed. " Flies are already cluster- 
 ing round the honey-pot," said she. " But what do 
 you think, my friend something has happened that 
 will surprise you. Lord Billie has got married! " 
 
 " Eh ? " Wasserufer stopped short in his rubbing 
 of hands and other signs of satisfaction. " Married ? 
 Billie Armitage ? But that is surprising. I did 
 not expect it." Then swiftly, as at a sudden thought : 
 " Who was she eh ? " 
 
 Diane shrugged her shoulders. " Haven't asked 
 yet " 
 
 " Oh," struck in Vere's incisive little voice, " she 
 was a Miss Ellis Jocelyn Ellis and she is American 
 Virginian. She's just the sweetest thing that ever 
 happened. I'm all over her already ! " 
 
 The look of almost shocked disappointment faded 
 from Wasserufer's plump face. " A-ha! " said he as 
 if amused. 
 
 " They have taken a great fancy to Vere," observed 
 his wife placidly, but watching him intently as she 
 spoke. " In fact she is going to Geneva to-morrow to 
 stay with them until Saturday." 
 
 F
 
 82 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 is that so ? " said Uncle Luitpold, smiling as if 
 with secret complacency. " But this is barbarous, 
 Diane to send away my little beauty the first day I 
 return 
 
 " You should be more certain in your plans, my 
 friend, then we could make our arrangements better. 
 However, I hope that Lord and Lady Billie are both 
 returning with Vere on Saturday to pass the week-end 
 with us." 
 
 Wasserufer turned and gave his wife a long look a 
 look of intelligent appreciation. " That will be joost 
 right," said he, " I shall sit up here in my lonely castle 
 and count the minutes till Verona comes back." 
 
 " Well, if you don't let her run away now we shall 
 be late for supper. I only ordered a cold meal, Loo, 
 as I couldn't tell when we should be back." 
 
 " All right, all right," he replied indulgently, " who 
 cares what he eat if he have Vire, as you call her, to 
 look at eh ? " 
 
 " Loo, she's spoilt already, don't you go making her 
 worse," warned Diane as Vere vanished up the dark 
 staircase laughing excitedly. 
 
 When later they sat down to table, it seemed that 
 the German could not keep his eyes from the girl. He 
 talked, chaffed her, drew her out, so that she was more 
 animated, more completely herself than his wife had 
 yet seen her. 
 
 " And she makes us four," said he complacently, 
 " we can sit at our bridge table without calling in the 
 aid of the estimable but dull Madame Laroche." 
 
 " Laroche is not a bad player," said the Baronne 
 judicially. " And Vere has the makings in her. At 
 present of course she is unreliable, but she has an 
 idea of the game." 
 
 " She and I will take on you and Luitpold," said
 
 UNCLELOO 83 
 
 Gilles suddenly, " and I bet you two to one, Loo, that 
 we beat you hollow in three rubbers." 
 
 " Hoo! " cried Vere in consternation, " I shan't be 
 in form to-night, I'm half asleep with the lake air 
 I'm always so sleepy when I've been on the water." 
 
 " Perhaps we'll let you off with one rubber, but we 
 must play a little, just to give your uncle a notion of 
 your game, as you are going to forsake us to-morrow." 
 
 Vere assented, and they repaired to the boudoir 
 where the table was set out as usual. 
 
 " I've got twenty-eight francs to lose those I won 
 the other night," observed Vere. " When I've lost 
 them I must leave off playing, or Gilles must pay for 
 me." 
 
 " Aber, kindchen f " cried Wasserufer in his great 
 voice, plunging his plump hand into his pocket. 
 " Here is a little present from Uncle Loo, take it and 
 gamble with your own little capital! " 
 
 He passed a wad of French notes over to her. 
 " There are ten hundred-franc notes as a beginner. 
 Come to the old uncle when you need more," said he. 
 
 " She will need more at once, Loo," put in his wife 
 quietly. " I promised her pocket-money, and have 
 not so far given her any. In Geneva she will want 
 money, she may wish to buy shoes or coat or hat no 
 fun in going to Geneva if you can't patronise Au 
 Grand Passage." 
 
 Wasserufer at once produced a couple of notes for 
 five hundred francs each. " But it would be best," 
 said he, " if I give her Swiss money. Come to me 
 to-morrow and I change it, kindchen." 
 
 This so touched Vere that she sprang from her seat, 
 ran round the table and hugged Uncle Loo. All her 
 prejudice against Germans was already washed away. 
 She thought him the most delightful of men.
 
 84 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 They began to play. It was wonderful how she 
 and Gilles played together. It almost seemed to her 
 as if he must be able to see her hand, and she his. 
 How was it done ? They played a rubber in which 
 their opponents, good players both, never scored a 
 single point. It seemed to her uncanny, and revived 
 her nervousness. 
 
 " It does seem mean to get up after winning like 
 this," she said, " but I really am too tired to go on 
 playing 
 
 " Well," laughed the German ruefully, " if this is 
 your play when you are tired I shall not wish to take 
 you on when you are fresh! " 
 
 " Oh," said Vere as she rose from table and dropped 
 upon the big couch, " it is only because I was playing 
 with Gilles and I understand his play." 
 
 She did not see the look that passed between the 
 Baronne and her husband. 
 
 Raumont had risen, gone to the other end of the 
 room and opened a cupboard. Strolling back, he 
 seated himself by her and laid something on her lap. 
 It was a crystal ball, about the size of a croquet ball, 
 exquisitely polished. 
 
 "Now, none of that nonsense, Gilles! " said Vere 
 quite sharply. " You can't make me stare into a 
 crystal, so don't try." 
 
 " Of course not," he replied calmly, " you are 
 much too tired ; but I thought you might like to 
 look at it, it is my last new one, and such a beauty. 
 Do you see what a perfect reflection it gives of this 
 room and of us in it ? Like a convex mirror, isn't 
 it ? Look at the detail ! So tiny, yet I can say 
 exactly what is each bloom in that vase behind Diane's 
 head." 
 
 ' Yes," eagerly replied the girl, " and Uncle Loo's
 
 UNCLELOO 85 
 
 hand ! I see his cigarette case, it is gold ! Stay still 
 a minute, uncle, I can almost count the cigarettes in 
 it as you hold it open ! How perfect and how tiny ! 
 A microcosm, isn't that what you call it ? ... Isn't 
 size a curious thing ? I've seen a whole picture of 
 a stained-glass window in a facet of my diamond 
 ring in church at home ..." 
 
 Her voice gradually died away. Nobody moved nor 
 spoke. Raumont was gazing at her fixedly, and by 
 degrees her lids dropped over the lowered eyes and she 
 seemed to sleep. 
 
 As soon as they were quite closed, Raumont made a 
 few swift passes with his hands. Vere sank back 
 against the soft cushions with a little sigh and remained 
 passive. 
 
 The other two watched curiously as moment after 
 moment passed silently. Presently the man leaned 
 forward and cautiously with a finger-tip pressed back 
 an eyelid. 
 
 He nodded as if completely satisfied, and after a 
 short pause began to speak. " Vere, can you hear 
 me ? " 
 
 " Of course, I'm not asleep." 
 
 " Naturally not, as you can hear what I say. I 
 want you to do something for me, if you please." 
 
 " What is it ? I don't want to move. I'm comfy." 
 
 " I don't want you to do it now, but when you are 
 at the Armitages' flat. I want you to remember and 
 write down the name of every visitor who comes to see 
 them, all the time you are there ... do you under- 
 stand ? " 
 
 " I am to remember and write down the name of 
 everyone who comes to see Lord and Lady Billie." 
 
 " That's right. You are to put the paper with the 
 list of names that you have made, between the pages
 
 86 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 of that book I lent you, ' The Scientific Basis of the 
 Sub-Conscious.' When you have done so, you must 
 forget that you have done it. Repeat, please." 
 
 She repeated every word faithfully. 
 
 " That's understood, then. When you awaken now 
 you must also forget this work I have set you to do. 
 Mind you forget." 
 
 " Yes. I promise you. I will forget." 
 
 Raumont leaned back, and flashed a glance of 
 quiet satisfaction at the two who watched him in utter 
 silence. They all waited another minute or two, then 
 he laid down his cigarette and made one or two passes 
 before the face of the sleeping girl. 
 
 Almost at once she stretched out her arms and began 
 to yawn. 
 
 " Yes," said Gilles, as if continuing what he had 
 been saying when she dropped asleep, "it is a very 
 curious thing, the way you can see a whole picture 
 in the facet of a cut gem. One day I'll write a de- 
 tective story about that. Quite an idea, wouldn't it 
 be? " 
 
 "Jolly good! Let's collaborate! Only just now 
 I'm so sleepy I can't keep my eyes open. Excuse me, 
 dear people, I believe I must go to my downy forth- 
 with." 
 
 She rose languidly, good nights were exchanged, 
 Raumont lit a candle for her from those placed on a 
 side-table, and she went out. There was silence for a 
 while. Diane rose after a moment and peeped into 
 the passage, listening for the sound of the closing 
 door upstairs. Then she nodded and turned back, a 
 gleam of triumph on her face. 
 
 " Well ? " she said to Wasserufer. 
 
 He gazed at Raumont with wondering admiration. 
 " Marvellous, my dear chap," said he in an excited
 
 UNCLELOO 87 
 
 sort of way, " but, pardon me, will that be of much 
 use ? this stunt you have set her to do ? " 
 
 " A test merely. One can never be quite sure the 
 first time. She is an extraordinarily facile subject, 
 but she is also a rather remarkable mixture, much 
 more self-willed than any medium I have employed 
 before ; and so far she is not reconciled ... I mean 
 that I have not been able to persuade her voluntarily 
 to submit her will to mine. I have to trick her as I 
 did this evening ; and it was only possible because 
 she was so tired. However, each time that it happens 
 my influence grows stronger. We can count upon 
 that." 
 
 They were all speaking German, but in undertones, 
 sitting close together at the table. Diane's mouth 
 curled in a smile of mockery. " She wants to be a 
 Secret Service agent said if she could choose a career 
 she would be a detective. You must think up a way 
 to work that in, Luitpold. It might prove most 
 useful." 
 
 Raumont stirred rather restlessly. " Only one 
 thing bothers me. You shouldn't have introduced 
 that fellow Coverley to her, Diane. He might prove 
 dangerous. Does Loo know that he told her there 
 were caverns under the castle ? " 
 
 " Eh ? " cried Wasserufer sharply. 
 
 " Well, I had to introduce her to somebody, hadn't 
 I ? " said the Baronne, nettled. " Of course I took 
 her to the dance to captivate Billie Armitage. How 
 could I tell he had gone and got married without 
 a word to anybody ? I never thought she would 
 take a fancy to a disagreeable hypochondriac like 
 Coverley ! ' ' 
 
 " Do I understand that Coverley knows, and has 
 told Vere, that there are caverns under our feet ? "
 
 88 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 There was a cold malevolence in the German's voice 
 which transformed him into another creature. 
 
 " That is so." 
 
 " Well, well, well ! ... It would not altogether 
 surprise me if that young man should meet with an 
 accident." 
 
 CHAPTER XI A TELEGRAM 
 
 GENEVA, since the League of Nations took it under 
 its wing, has become very prosperous. That long 
 TOW of hotels whose emptiness, immediately after the 
 war, saddened the town, is now full of guests in fact, 
 there is not enough accommodation in the place for 
 the continual influx of tourists and visitors from all 
 parts of the world. 
 
 The young Armitages, well-born, youthful and in 
 riotous spirits, were an ideal host and hostess for 
 Vere. They were still so much in love with one another 
 that they were quite ready for their guest to have her 
 own admirers, and for three days Vere lived the life 
 she had dreamed of but never supposed it likely that 
 she could attain. 
 
 They entertained, danced, boated, visited. Uncle 
 Loo's wad of notes quickly disappeared when his 
 great-niece went shopping. " For," said Jo, " if you 
 are going to winter here, you will be all the time 
 staying with us and going about, so you want a few 
 smart clothes." 
 
 " Uncle Loo said I was to spend all he gave me, 
 and ask for more when I got back. Isn't it good of 
 him, to give me such a wonderful time ? " 
 
 " Rum old bird," said Billie thoughtfully. (They
 
 ATELEGRAM 89 
 
 were sitting at tea in the pretty flat.) " Quaint of 
 him to make such a mystery of himself and his doings. 
 Wonder if he's really oofy or not. Hallo, Simpson ! ' ; 
 he broke off, as that well-dressed diplomat was an- 
 nounced. " Come right in, as Jo would say, sit down 
 and cheer up Miss Merton, she's bored to tears with 
 connubial bliss! " 
 
 Simpson sat down and began to make himself agree- 
 able to Vere. 
 
 " Just talkin' about old Wasserufer," said Billie 
 presently. " Always pretendin' he's in on something 
 that's really hot stuff! Makes me laugh. The 
 Baronne the other day, goin' out of her way to tell 
 me he was in Rome, when he was on his way back 
 from Moscow! " 
 
 " Why, how do you know that ? " cried Vere, 
 amazed. 
 
 " Oh," lightly, " a man told me so. Just makin' 
 a smoke screen, you know, that's all. Thing to do 
 when you're plannin' a deal. A good many com- 
 mercial treaties in the air just now eh, Simpson ?" 
 
 " All treaties, commercial or otherwise, are made in 
 Geneva nowadays," replied Simpson. 
 
 " You're right, dear boy. This little burg is a 
 perfect hotbed of petty intrigue. Fact, Vere. You 
 hear a chap say : ' Jones of Newmania has invited 
 the mining expert of Pneumonia to lunch or has 
 danced with his wife or somethin' equally com- 
 promisin' ' and then everyone you meet asks you : 
 ' I say, Armitage, what price Pneumonia and New- 
 mania ? ' 
 
 " And it all amounts to nothing," said Jo lazily, 
 " just fussing around and hoping you'll be thought 
 important." 
 
 " Well, it seems old Wasserufer must have pulled
 
 go THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 off something to his advantage," said Simpson, " for 
 I'm told they have just taken up a huge vanload of 
 furniture to d'Almier." 
 
 "Furniture!" cried Vere, "why the chateau is 
 simply crammed with it already ! Who told you that, 
 Mr. Simpson ? " 
 
 " Oh, Geneva gossip er one gets to know things. 
 A heavy motor furniture- van is a conspicuous object 
 on these mountain roads." 
 
 " Well, it will be fun if, when I get back, I find 
 they've been re-furnishing the place. Most of what 
 they have is pretty stuffy, I must own." 
 
 " Funny stunt for the Baronne," observed Simpson 
 musingly, " to come and live in a place like that. 
 I've known her a good many years, the sort of woman 
 who went between Paris and Monte all the time." 
 
 " She has a sentiment for the old place her hus- 
 band's family seat," said Vere. 
 
 " How does she amuse herself ? And Raumont a 
 man like that what on earth does he find to do up 
 there ? " 
 
 " Raumont ? Oh, he has a laboratory fitted up in 
 the tower ; I think he does chemical research work. 
 I gather that Uncle Loo pays him a salary ; and 
 then, you know, he goes to Lausanne two days a week 
 to attend to his medical practice there." 
 
 " A chemical expert is no doubt useful to Herr 
 Wasserufer, if he negotiates commercial treaties," 
 observed Jo. " He could find out by analysis what 
 the thing offered was worth couldn't he ? " 
 
 " Quite," replied Billie absent-mindedly. 
 
 " Anyhow, he's a dear old thing " there was a 
 tinge of resentment in Vere's voice. " He's jolly good 
 to me." 
 
 " Shouldn't think he found that difficult. I know
 
 ATELEGRAM 9! 
 
 I shouldn't in his place," murmured Simpson 
 demurely. 
 
 " Tut, tut, talk sense," cried Vere. 
 
 " But you told us only yesterday that you prefer 
 nonsense," objected Jo. 
 
 " I wasn't talking nonsense then," cut in Simpson 
 quite sharply ; and everyone was giggling at Vere's 
 red cheeks when Barrett, the manservant, came in 
 with a telegram for Billie. 
 
 Billie took the message and opened it quite in- 
 differently. It was rather long; and having read it, 
 he remained for a good many seconds without moving 
 or speaking, his eyes fixed upon it. Vere felt like 
 begging to know if he had had bad news. His face 
 had hardly changed, yet she was certain that he had 
 received some intelligence which perturbed him 
 profoundly. Neither Simpson nor Jo said anything, 
 they merely watched him ; and so Vere too had the 
 sense to remain passive. At last he lifted up his 
 eyes. 
 
 " All right, Barrett. Thanks. No answer." 
 
 The man went out. He had been Billie's batman 
 in the war, and he and his wife had become devoted 
 retainers afterwards, remaining in his service ever 
 since. 
 
 Billie rose. " Have some more tea, Vere ? Jo ? 
 No ? Then I'll help myself." He went to the tea- 
 table, poured out a cupful, carried it back to his 
 place and set it down. Then he opened his cigarette- 
 case and handed smokes to his wife and his guests. 
 When all were going comfortably he remarked casually : 
 " Well, Jo, those things from Kilistria are arriving 
 this evening at Croix-Lucie. Just my luck, their 
 coming to-day. I'll have to go and claim them, or 
 the customs people will be chargin' me a guinea a
 
 Q2 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 minute till they're fetched. I think I'll have to ask 
 you to come too, Simp." 
 
 " But, Bill it simply can't be done," began Jo. 
 " That means leaving Vere and me to go to the French 
 Minister's dance without any men." 
 
 " Soon arrange that. Ring up Jack Forsythe and 
 Pat Beresford, I know they're both going. Tell 'em 
 to come and pick you up." 
 
 " We'd better not go at all " 
 
 Her husband broke in swiftly. " You must go, 
 Jo. I can't offend Delorme. Simp and I will be back 
 in time to join you there, and of course you mustn't 
 say where we have gone. Let 'em think we're bein' 
 kept late at the jolly old Awfice." He laughed in his 
 usual half-witted fashion. " Some antiques," he ex- 
 plained to Vere. " We got 'em, or rather I got 'em 
 for Jo, when I was there last, and there's been the 
 holiest mess over bringin' 'em over the borders. I 
 simply daren't leave 'em in the clutches of the douane, 
 or they'll be makin' it an international question before 
 we know where we are." He tossed his half-smoked 
 cigarette into the ash-tray and rose. " Come on, Jo, 
 let's phone," he said. She sprang to her feet with 
 alacrity, and he passed his arm over her neck as they 
 went out together. 
 
 " So," said Simpson, " those first two dances will 
 go to some other lucky devil. I'll have to stand by 
 William, or they'll rook him of twice the duty. He 
 isn't to be trusted alone." 
 
 " I wonder the King of Kilistria employs him then! " 
 
 Simpson smiled. " Oh, he's all right when you 
 know him," he said calmly. " And I suppose any 
 Englishman seems godlike to the inhabitants of those 
 hinterlands. Besides, he's well-born, you know, and 
 in these democratic days that's simply everything."
 
 ATELEGRAM 93 
 
 Vere's perceptions were keen, and she was sensible 
 of tension in the mental atmosphere of her light- 
 hearted friends that evening. They dined early, and 
 immediately after, Billie and Simpson, with overcoats 
 covering their full evening dress and orders, departed 
 in the car for Croix-Lucie. The ladies waited to 
 change until they had gone, so Vere and Jo were not 
 together until they met, ready for the ball, later. 
 There was a slight nervousness to be discerned in Jo's 
 manner as she said : 
 
 " You did understand, didn't you, Vere, that you 
 must on no account let anybody know that those 
 two have gone off on such a trifling errand ? the 
 Delormes would be quite affronted if they knew. 
 Just say, if anybody asks you where Bill is, that he 
 has been detained by a heavy mail, and hopes to 
 arrive later on." 
 
 "Right-o! " said Vere vulgarly, "you may trust 
 me." 
 
 " Thanks be," was the reply. " Living here one 
 really gets to the point when you feel nobody is to 
 be trusted. You wouldn't believe how careful we 
 have to be as to what we say and what we don't say. 
 The place teems with people who have rival or con- 
 flicting interests, and one can hardly please A without 
 offending B. However, I hope Bill will be out of it 
 next year. Meantime, be jolly careful. You may 
 tell any of your dancing partners that Billie and I are 
 going up to stay at d'Almier to-morrow. We don't 
 mind how widely that's known." 
 
 " All right," agreed Vere, rather flattered at being 
 thus in the midst of things. " I shall have to watch 
 my step! I'm so accustomed to blurting out any 
 old thing that occurs to me ; but I'll try and re- 
 member those two points ... I mustn't forget ..."
 
 94 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 As she spoke the words, a fleeting impression brushed 
 her mind. " I had to forget something . . . what 
 was it ? " 
 
 Momentarily she experienced a curious terror. She 
 had forgotten something of importance she had been 
 told to forget it ... When ? Why ? 
 
 Of course it must have been in a dream. The 
 young men's car dashed up to the door. The girls, 
 who had been watching for their arrival from 
 the balcony, waved their hands and ran out to 
 the lift, which was awaiting them. The vague sense 
 of discomfort faded before the mirth of the 
 moment. 
 
 Jo looked her loveliest that evening and was at 
 the top of her form, apologising prettily for her over- 
 worked husband and promising that he would put in 
 an appearance as soon as he could. She danced more 
 than once with a handsome young German secretary 
 called von Erlenkonig, and with a Russian called 
 Radkin, who was popularly supposed to be a paid 
 agent of the Soviet, though he professed himself merely 
 literary and quite independent. 
 
 As for Vere, she received enough admiration to turn 
 her head. This, she told herself, was life. She was 
 sensing her youth to the full. She held out both 
 hands for the effervescing draught, she let herself 
 drift on the sparkling waters of pleasure. When she 
 recalled the Mitchingham back garden, Phyl, the 
 twins, and her drab existence, she said to herself that 
 never, never, whatever happened, could she return 
 to it. 
 
 Not long after midnight, Billie's tall blond head was 
 seen in the doorway. Vere noticed that, although Jo 
 took no ostensible notice, she nevertheless gravitated 
 towards him. Vere herself had made an engagement
 
 THEKING 95 
 
 with him for the first dance after his arrival, and she 
 therefore hastened towards him on the arm of Pat 
 Beresford, her partner. She was thus near enough 
 to see a signal pass between husband and wife just 
 a slight nod, that was all ; but, as she was sailing off 
 with Billie, he turned to Jo, who was standing quite 
 near, and murmured, so low that only Vere could 
 overhear : 
 
 " According to plan." 
 
 CHAPTER XII THE KING 
 
 WHEN Vere found herself at last in the car with 
 Billie and Jo, on their homeward way, it was nearly 
 three o'clock. 
 
 She was bursting with excitement, her head per- 
 haps a little turned at the distinction she had 
 won. 
 
 There had been a wonderful and quite unexpected 
 finale to the dancing. A chosen twenty of the younger 
 guests quietly disappeared and presently rushed in as 
 pierrots, with bladders, confetti, lights and balls. The 
 floor was cleared and they performed a kind of carnival 
 dance, with charming effects, coloured lights being 
 turned upon them from the gallery. 
 
 One of the girls of this party had failed them at 
 the last minute, and to her own immense surprise, 
 they begged Vere to take her place. It was a great 
 honour, and she knew she owed it to the fact that 
 she was the guest of the Armitages. It was no easy 
 task, without rehearsal, but she relied upon her own 
 astonishing quickness in the uptake. " I'll try to copy 
 what the girl just in front of me does all the time,"
 
 g6 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 said she ; and when, at the end, which had 
 been achieved without fault, she received a cheer 
 of approbation from the rest of the performers, 
 it seemed to her that life could offer no higher 
 reward. 
 
 " It was all my partner, Pat Beresford he pulled 
 me through," she said, modestly disclaiming applause ; 
 but she was so delighted that she hardly knew what 
 to do. 
 
 It seemed to her that at last she was fully and 
 completely alive, and her gratitude to her host and 
 hostess was ardent. She found them, although evi- 
 dently gratified by her success, more silent than 
 usual ; and after a few minutes, with a vague feeling 
 of being snubbed, she also left off chattering. When 
 they had driven some way in silence, Jo turned to 
 her, saying in a casual tone : 
 
 " Fancy, Billie and Simp met a man at Croix-Lucie 
 who had just come in on the train a friend of Bill's 
 from Kilistria. He hadn't intended to arrive at such 
 an hour, missed a connection or something, and had 
 no idea where to go. You know how full all the 
 hotels are, so Bill thought he might go wandering 
 about the town for ever so long, and that he ought to 
 bring him to our flat for the night." 
 
 " A Kilistrian ! " said Vere with interest. " I don't 
 think I ever met one." 
 
 " Oh, you won't meet him, he's off to-morrow 
 early," said Billie, in the same indifferent tone. " Jo 
 thought she'd mention it, in case you heard us stirring 
 at unearthly hours, or ran into a strange youth on your 
 way to the bath-room." 
 
 " Oh, but I'd love to meet him ! Does he speak 
 English ? " 
 
 " Perfectly. Most Kilistrians of the upper class
 
 THEKING 97 
 
 do. By the way, his name's Rilescu. Cousin of that 
 girl you've met here." 
 
 " Georgia Rilescu ? Oh, I like her very much. Is 
 he young ? " 
 
 " Quite young ; but look here, Vere ... Jo and I 
 both think you trustworthy ..." 
 
 " Oh, Bill, I hope so ! " 
 
 " Well, we're goin' to trust you. Nothing much, 
 you know only the old game of the smoke-screen, 
 about nothing very particular. It's just that we 
 emphatically don't want it known that young Rilescu 
 is in Geneva. Get me ? " 
 
 " I get you. Another commercial treaty, I infer ? " 
 
 " Your inference is not so very wide of the mark. 
 I don't imagine there is the smallest likelihood of 
 your bein' questioned on the subject ; only, old 
 Wasserufer does know I'm in the Kilistrian interest, 
 and the old chap, as we have politely hinted to you, 
 is a bit on the make. We quite particularly wish 
 that neither he, nor Madame la Baronne, nor Raumont, 
 should know about Rilescu's visit until he's gone." 
 
 " I understand. I'll be careful." 
 
 " I hope so, because it really is important, for 
 Kilistria," observed Jo very gravely. 
 
 " Girls nowadays aren't the chattering parrots they 
 used to be thought," returned Vere scornfully. " At 
 Hayneslop we had a pretty strict code of honour, and 
 a girl who sneaked or gossiped or slandered, had a 
 pretty thin time." 
 
 " Did any of your partners at the dance to-night 
 ask you where Billy was ? " 
 
 " Not a soul." 
 
 " Not Maxim Radkin ? " 
 
 " Oh, no ! We talked Dostoiewsky the whole 
 time ! " 
 
 G
 
 98 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Good ! " said Jo, with a sigh of relief. " I 
 really think it's a case of Newmania and Pneumonia, 
 Bill. We only think we're so important ; as a fact, 
 nobody was a bit surprised at your rolling up 
 late." 
 
 " That's that, then," replied Bill with a visible 
 relaxation of tension. " After all, it's nobody's affair 
 but our own why need all Geneva know whom we 
 entertain ? " 
 
 " What a good thing for Mr. Rilescu that you hap- 
 pened to be at the station at that hour," remarked 
 Vere. " Did your things come all right ? Were they 
 on the train as you expected ? " 
 
 " They were, and we've got 'em ! They're crated 
 up pretty tightly though, too tightly for us to open 
 them ourselves. We'll leave it for Barrett to do, 
 while we're at d'Almier." 
 
 " What treasures the Barretts are ! What would 
 you do without them ? " 
 
 " Search me! " cried Jo vulgarly. " They are the 
 mainspring of our existence! Did you know my 
 maid, Winifred, is their daughter ? Only seventeen 
 don't you think she's marvellously competent ? " 
 
 Vere agreed heartily. " The jolliest girl! Doesn't 
 she mind living out here ? " 
 
 " Not a bit. Likes it. So fortunate, Billie being 
 sent here her father and mother were out in Kilistria 
 with him all the time Winnie was being educated. 
 They were so pleased that when she was ready to 
 come home, he was sent to a place where they could 
 have her with them." 
 
 " You're lucky, you two," said Vere, with the ghost 
 of a sigh as the car came to a standstill. 
 
 The landing of the flat was in darkness when the 
 lift had shot them up. Billie opened the door with
 
 THEKING 99 
 
 his latch-key, switched on the lights and stood a 
 moment listening. All was quiet. , j 
 
 "Don't make any noise," he whispered; "creep 
 along to my den and have some soda-water, I expect 
 you girls are thirsty." 
 
 After all their dancing, the girls were only too 
 ready. Billie paused to divest himself of his over- 
 coat while they tiptoed along the corridor to avoid 
 disturbing the sleeping guest. It chanced that Vere 
 was ahead of Jo, and it was she who turned the handle 
 of the door and went in first. 
 
 She stopped drew back hesitated. 
 
 The lights were on, the room was rilled with a 
 faint blue haze of cigarete smoke. In Billie' s chair 
 was seated a young man who at first glance she de- 
 cided was by far the handsomest man she had ever 
 seen. His golden-brown hair caught the light in 
 ridges. His dark-blue eyes were full of fire and 
 sparkling with a kind of eagerness difficult to describe. 
 He seemed instinct with force and energy . . . and 
 his smile . . . ! 
 
 Jo was but a second behind Vere. She, too, stopped 
 short just within the room ; and her exclamation of 
 surprise brought Billie with a rush into the doorway. 
 
 " Sire! " The word burst from him and was half- 
 swallowed by the gasp with which he checked it. He 
 pulled himself together, gave a careless grunt and 
 advanced towards his guest, saying testily : " Good 
 Lord, Rilescu, I thought you were in bed hours ago ! " 
 
 The visitor rose to his full six feet of muscular 
 manhood with a devil-may-care laugh. 
 
 " But, Bill, I wasn't in the least sleepy. I wanted 
 to sit up and have a look at your missus ! I say, 
 you know what ? " He flashed a glance of mis- 
 chievous admiration and amusement from one girl to
 
 100 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 the other. " Which of these ? In any case, you're 
 lucky ! But yet, I know which it is. I know by the 
 photo you sent me. This is Lady Billie! " 
 
 He held out his hand to Jo with a charming eager- 
 ness of interest, and she, after a glance at her husband 
 of mingled pleasure and consternation, took it with 
 her usual American deft cordiality. 
 
 " And this ? " Evidently Rilescu was not to be 
 denied. He extended a hand to Vere also, smiling 
 with pleasure at her youth and charm. 
 
 " This is an English friend, Miss Merton," said 
 Billie with most unwonted rigidity. " She is er a 
 niece of old Wasserufer's wife, and is staying with 
 them, but has come to us for a few days' dissipation 
 in Geneva." 
 
 " English ? Old Wasserufer's niece ? " said Rilescu 
 doubtfully. 
 
 Yes there was doubt in his voice now, since Bill 
 so significantly dragged in Uncle Loo by the heels. 
 Vere caught the note of coldness. 
 
 " I am English on my father's side," said she hastily, 
 " and I am not related to Herr Wasserufer at all, 
 though my great-aunt married him en secondes noces. 
 I have never been out of England until last month." 
 
 Nobody spoke for a moment, and Vere became 
 suddenly a prey to an agony of embarrassment. After 
 a painful pause she felt that her only course was to 
 withdraw. Pleading fatigue, she said good night, 
 and slipped from the room. Her heart was beating 
 heavily as she crept along the corridor and turned 
 into her own room, wherein Winifred had laid every- 
 thing ready for her. 
 
 She felt certain that she had that evening both 
 seen and spoken to a king. It was the King of 
 Kilistria who was Billie's guest.
 
 THE KING 101 
 
 She had more than once seen the portrait of the 
 handsome and popular monarch, the only crowned 
 head in Central Europe who was firmly seated on his 
 throne, and opposed a steady resistance to Russian 
 aggression. He ruled the united kingdoms of Kilistria 
 and Lascania, with the Duchy of Marvilion thrown 
 in, and was considered by a certain school of politicians 
 as weighing too heavily in the balance of power. 
 
 All the romance, the spirit of loyalty and devo- 
 tion of which she and her contemporaries are so 
 contemptuous, surged within her. One could fight to 
 the death for such a king as this ! She was wounded 
 to the heart by the sudden chill with which he had 
 learned of her connection with Uncle Loo. She had 
 not thought that she could be hurt in such a manner 
 and to such an extent. A great desire to prove her- 
 self worthy of trust rose in her. They said girls could 
 not hold their tongues ! They should see. 
 
 It was more than half an hour before she heard the 
 soft footfalls of hosts and guest, and the almost 
 noiseless closing of doors which told her they had 
 gone to bed. Sleep claimed her instantly after that, 
 for it was past four o'clock, and she had danced every 
 dance. 
 
 An hour later, in the dawn, she sat up in bed and 
 switched on her light. Without noise she slipped on 
 her silk wrapper and her shoes and stole across the 
 room to the table where her writing materials lay. 
 She took a sheet of thin paper and a pencil and began 
 to make a list. 
 
 Name after name she wrote down, without pause or 
 hesitation : 
 
 Colonel This once. 
 Captain That also once.
 
 102 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Major So-and-so twice. 
 
 Sir Somebody-or-other once. 
 
 Jack Forsythe three times. 
 
 Pat Beresford four times. 
 
 Mr. Simpson six times. 
 
 The King of Kilistria (incognito] once. 
 
 To each name she appended the date of the visit 
 or visits, writing in an effortless way, as though her 
 subconscious memory had been storing up the material 
 which now it used so glibly. 
 
 Having finished, she folded the paper once, so that 
 it was double, the writing being all on the inside ; and 
 proceeded to lay it in between the latter pages of 
 " The Scientific Basis of the Sub-conscious," which 
 lay upon the table near. Her face was without any 
 expression at all, her movements like those of an 
 automaton. 
 
 When all was done she rose, laid aside slippers and 
 wrapper, extinguished the light, glided into bed, and 
 was immediately wrapped in profound slumber. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII VERE TURNS INFORMER 
 
 WHEN Winnie brought Vere her cafe complet at ten 
 o'clock next morning the girl was still sound asleep. 
 The maid brought a message from her ladyship to ask 
 Miss Merton to do her packing that morning, as they 
 were to lunch with some American friends at the 
 " Splendide," and to go on up to the chateau after- 
 wards. Vere guessed that this was a veiled hint to her 
 to remain in her own room, and was quick to take it,
 
 VERE TURNS INFORMER 103 
 
 though she would have dearly liked to see King Raoul 
 again. 
 
 She knew it was foolish to feel hurt. The king had 
 evidently taken his friends by surprise, Billie had not 
 known of his coming until he received that telegram 
 the previous afternoon ; and her presence must have 
 been a profound embarrassment, though all would 
 have been well had not the self-willed ruler escaped 
 from his room and made things difficult by his im- 
 prudence. 
 
 She decided that, unless the subject was introduced 
 by her host or hostess, she would not refer at all to 
 the previous night's happenings ; and, having done 
 full justice to rolls and marmalade, lay in luxury 
 directing Winnie in her packing and selecting one of 
 her dinkiest new frocks for the smart luncheon at the 
 " Splendide." 
 
 She was not surprised that Billie was not present 
 at the lunch, to which she and Jo drove, escorted 
 by the faithful pair, Jack Forsythe and Pat Beresford. 
 On their return to the flat, they picked up Billie and 
 their luggage and dropped Beresford who, said Jo, 
 was going to do Billie's work for him while he was 
 away. 
 
 Then they headed for the mountain road skirting 
 the Petite Louve and winding up the hairpin bends 
 past the " Charmant " to Sannetier-aux-Erables and 
 on to d'Almier. How familiar that road was already 
 becoming to Vere ! 
 
 She greeted the remote sublimity of Mont Blanc 
 quite calmly now, as an old friend. 
 
 They found Uncle Loo, Aunt Diane and Raumont, 
 all awaiting them on the terrace, and Vere was touched 
 by the heartiness of her own welcome and the evi- 
 dently genuine assurances of her having been missed.
 
 104 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 "It's growing a little chilly for tea on the terrace," 
 said the Baronne, when the greetings were over, " so 
 it is being served in the salon. Ah, my little one " 
 to Vere " you shall see what the old folks have 
 been about while your back was turned ! " 
 
 Forthwith she ushered them up the steps and into 
 the seldom-used salon. Vere was indeed surprised. 
 The few days of her absence had sufficed for its 
 re-papering and for the laying of a new carpet and the 
 installation of new furniture. It really looked almost 
 habitable, especially when the huge sheaf of flowers 
 purchased by Vere to bring home to her aunt had 
 been disposed about the room in the new vases which 
 she had also brought. 
 
 " You must have had quite an army of workmen 
 busy ! " cried Jo, staring around her, when she had 
 been told by Vere of the transformation which had 
 been effected. 
 
 They admitted it. " Luitpold said : ' If it must 
 be done, do it all at once, and then it will be 
 over.' ' 
 
 The salon was not the only place in which work 
 had been done. The rooms allotted to the Armitages 
 has also been re-papered and re-furnished. Host and 
 hostess seemed justifiably proud of the result of their 
 efforts. 
 
 " A true hustle, as you in the States would say," 
 said Uncle Loo complacently ; though, as he pro- 
 nounced it euzle, Jo was not at once aware of his 
 meaning. 
 
 After tea, Vere eagerly proposed walking as far as 
 the Gueule de Louve, which the guests had not seen. 
 Aunt Diane thought it a pity to be walking, as they 
 were going to climb so far that night they would all 
 be overtired. Vere replied that it was not far, and
 
 VERB TURNS INFORMER 105 
 
 that, if they did not go, they would be playing tennis, 
 which was just as tiring. 
 
 Jo laughed to scorn the idea of being overwalked, 
 so they set out. Raumont excused himself on the 
 ground that he had been suddenly called upon to 
 write a paper for a medical congress ; and, just as 
 the party was starting, he came to the door and called 
 to Vere to ask her if she could put her hand on the 
 book he had lent her he wanted to verify a reference. 
 
 She laughed up at him from the lowest step. " I 
 did take it with me to Geneva, but I will own I didn't 
 read much while I was there. Ask Zelie for it, she 
 is unpacking my things, and will give it you," said she 
 saucily, and ran off. 
 
 Her spirits were quite restored, and Jo and Billie 
 also seemed to have cast off their cares. Billie was 
 evidently interested in the chateau, and asked a good 
 many questions about it. 
 
 " It must be built on the solid rock," said he, 
 
 " Yes, and there's such a wonderful vault under- 
 neath," Vere told him eagerly, " hewn out, with a 
 huge column to hold it up in the middle." 
 
 " Is there, by Jove ? Have you seen it ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, Gilles took me down. It's a wine-cellar, 
 of course ; full of empty barrels, left there by the 
 hotel people to whom Aunt Diane had let the place 
 before she married Uncle Loo." 
 
 " Isn't there a secret way out, down the mountain- 
 side ? " 
 
 " I shouldn't think so. Too precipitous." 
 
 " Um ! Pretty steep, certainly, but they didn't 
 think much of that, in the Middle Ages . . . how do 
 you descend to this vault ? Where's the door ? " 
 
 " In the stable yard, just outside the castle wall. 
 I don't think there's a way up inside."
 
 106 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " You bet your life there is, but they didn't show 
 it to you ? " 
 
 " Perhaps they don't know it's there ? " 
 
 " Perhaps they don't," said Bill with a queer little 
 smile. 
 
 Diane had walked with the party as far as the turn 
 in the rocky path which hid the chateau from sight. 
 At that point she left them and slowly retraced her 
 steps to the terrace. As she approached, Gilles came 
 rushing down the front door steps, white as death, a 
 paper clutched in his hand. 
 
 Behind him on the threshold appeared Luitpold, 
 fully as agitated as he, and beckoning her furiously 
 to make haste. 
 
 " What is it, what is it ? " cried she, speaking her 
 husband's mother tongue. 
 
 " What is it ? " repeated Gilles, also in German, 
 " why, it is everything simply everything ! Heaven, 
 it is like a miracle! " He was almost hysterical in 
 his excitement. 
 
 Diane ran up the steps, was grabbed by her hus- 
 band, and the three of them made for the privacy of 
 the boudoir, Gilles shutting the door and pushing the 
 bolt with hands which shook so that he could hardly 
 manage it. 
 
 "Speak! Speak! " gasped Diane. 
 
 " Picture it ! " Gilles was speaking in little gasps. . . 
 " Picture to yourself that Luitpold said to me what 
 use is it, that stunt of yours telling the child to make 
 a list of visitors ! ... Of what use P It has done the 
 trick, my dear. Quite literally, it has done the 
 trick ! " 
 
 Diane grew as white as he was. " You mean 
 what ? Let me see! " 
 
 She held out a shaking hand for the paper, and he
 
 VERE TURNS INFORMER 107 
 
 opened it, holding it up for her, pointing with his 
 finger. " The King of Kilistria ! You see ? You 
 grasp that ? . . . and she has no more idea, that 
 child, of having told me this, than the babe un- 
 born." 
 
 Diane sank down upon a couch. She looked com- 
 pletely unnerved. 
 
 " Then he is there now ... in that flat . . . 
 the top flat ? " She paused a moment as though 
 allowing the full implications of the fact to sink in. 
 " Then it must be to-night ? " she whispered, hardly 
 above her breath. 
 
 " Could anything be better ? They will all be at 
 the top of the mountain, watching the sunrise ! Out 
 of sight, out of hearing! " It was Wasserufer who 
 spoke. " Young fools ! Trying to play at diplomacy ! 
 Fancying that the League of Nations is going to 
 arrange a matter such as ours peaceably ? To hell 
 with such folly! There is only one way of dealing 
 with one's enemies short and sharp! " 
 
 It took Diane some time to find her voice. " But, 
 Loo surely they would not leave him there, un- 
 guarded ? Oh no, they will have taken him to the 
 British Head-quarters, or some place like that. Billie 
 Armitage would never come here, be away all night, 
 leave him there alone ? " 
 
 " Don't you see my dear that, granted nobody 
 knew he was there, he would be safer there than any- 
 where ? . . . and, but for the talent of Gilles here, 
 nobody would have known it. Our men had no idea 
 he had arrived." 
 
 His wife shot him a glance, half distaste, half 
 admiration. " When do you suppose he came ? 
 How did he come ? " 
 
 " This paper," said Gilles thoughtfully, " says he
 
 108 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 came yesterday : and I think I know how and when. 
 Our man, posted at Croix-Lucie to watch the train 
 arrivals, reported that Armitage came to the station 
 last night to meet the train from Villeneuve. It 
 brought some cases of glass and china for him, and 
 his man Barrett was also there, with a small hired 
 lorry in which to collect them. There were two men 
 in charge of them, Italian workmen. Armitage was 
 apparently in a hurry. He was dressed for the even- 
 ing, and was no doubt on his way to the Delormes' 
 dance. He signed for the crates, and as soon as 
 they were forthcoming, he drove off at once, with his 
 friend Simpson. Barrett, with the help of the two 
 Italians, loaded his lorry with the goods, and the 
 three of them went away to have a drink. As the 
 goods had come over the Simplon and there was 
 nothing to connect them with Kilistria, our man took 
 no further interest in the matter, which looked quite 
 simple and aboveboard ; but you may swear that 
 one of those workmen was our crack-brained friend, 
 Raoul." 
 
 " No doubt ! No doubt ! He moves quickly, that 
 young man. I was but just in time," murmured 
 Wasserufer. 
 
 Diane stared at the paper, which was still in her 
 hand. "Wonderful!" she muttered: and, almost 
 unexpectedly to herself she added, "Poor child! 
 What would be her feelings if she knew she had done 
 this! Gilles! " as a thought struck her suddenly, 
 " you don't think they could suspect her those 
 Armitages, do you ? " 
 
 Gilles laughed, a laugh as cold as glacier-water. 
 " She can and will swear till all's blue that she had 
 nothing to do with it. That's the beauty of it. She 
 hasn't an idea of what she did. But on the other
 
 VERB TURNS INFORMER IOQ 
 
 hand," with a Mephistophelian smile, " we have her 
 now in the hollow of our hand." 
 
 He rose, took the paper from the Baronne, and 
 folded it carefully, bestowing it in his pocket-book 
 which he placed in his inner coat pocket. " She 
 must do as she is bid now and from henceforth," he 
 triumphed, " for I shall hold this over her head. Her 
 handwriting, her English, round, clear script, is 
 unmistakable. If I showed that to any of her 
 friends " 
 
 Diane had half risen. Her lips formed the words 
 " Gilles, you wouldn't you couldn't! " But she did 
 not utter them. Raumont did not move at all. He 
 merely faced her, looking her in the eyes. After a 
 momentary silence she said calmly, " You are very 
 clever." 
 
 " Naturally, my dear, we shall not use this disagree- 
 able form of coercion unless we must," said Wasserufer 
 soothingly. He rose, sat down by his wife on the 
 couch, patted her hand. " Probably there will be 
 no need. If all goes well to-night, the thing is as good 
 as done. I acquire my oil-field hand over to the 
 Soviet and there you are. You, Liebchen, will be a 
 rich woman a very rich woman and there is nothing 
 your devoted husband will refuse you. It was a good 
 thought of yours, to bring this so pretty little maiden 
 to our help." 
 
 Diane's chin rested on her palm. She leaned for- 
 ward, staring at the ground. " //all goes well ! But 
 will it ? Will it ? The fact that we have not been 
 able have not dared to experiment with Gilles' 
 contrivance makes it so uncertain ..." 
 
 Gilles laughed. " Leave it to me ! My two years' 
 experience with the German guns will not go for 
 nothing ! Everything has been calculated to a nicety.
 
 110 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 I know every trick of the trade. At this moment the 
 thing is trained precisely upon Armitage's roof . . . 
 and it will shatter everything near it. ... No, there 
 is but one danger, and it is a remote one. That fool 
 Coverley knows the cellar secret." 
 
 " Within two hours of the actual shot," said Wasse- 
 rufer, "the gun will have been sunk into the pit, 
 the flooring replaced, every trace of what has hap- 
 pened will be obliterated ; and I would not mind 
 betting heavily that there is no suspicion at all. A 
 bomb dropped from an aeroplane will be the accepted 
 theory." 
 
 " As a fact," Gilles mused, " I don't believe the 
 shock of the touching-off will shake the houses in 
 Sannetier appreciably. At two o'clock in the morn- 
 ing everyone will be asleep ; and the few who are 
 awakened will think that what they felt was the re- 
 percussion of the shock from the falling bomb. The 
 only person likely to suspect anything is Coverley, 
 and his suspicions " 
 
 " His suspicions ? Who says he has suspicions ? 
 And of what ? " cut in Wasserufer. 
 
 " Well, I'm afraid he knows we didn't show Vere 
 everything. That, taken in conjunction with certain 
 events to-night, might put him on his inquiry." 
 
 " As I have before suggested," observed Wasserufer 
 mildly, " it might be well that the young man should 
 meet with an accident." 
 
 " I should feel a good deal safer," replied Raumont 
 quickly, "if he were out of the way." 
 
 He had hardly spoken before he wished the words 
 unsaid, for Diane moved restlessly. She guessed he 
 knew she guessed that he admired Vere ; though 
 she was far from suspecting the extent and violence 
 of that sudden passion which was tearing him, and
 
 VERB TURNS INFORMER III 
 
 for the gratification of which he believed that he had 
 the means in his pocket-book. That he should wish 
 Coverley out of the way, seeing a rival in him, would 
 occur to Diane's jealousy at once. 
 
 " Loo," said she, " I warn you that murder is a 
 difficult thing to hide. You had better let young 
 Coverley alone. To touch him would surely be 
 to awaken suspicion where at present there is 
 none." 
 
 " Be easy, my dear. I am most determined against 
 imprudence," he replied soothingly. " But anything 
 short of murder in this case would not help us. The 
 trouble is that what Coverley knows, others may 
 also know ; and to remove him and afterwards find 
 that we had acted in vain would be most repugnant 
 to me. I suppose " to Raumont " that he said 
 nothing to Vere of who told him ? " 
 
 " I understood her to say that he had himself seen 
 the whole place." 
 
 " H'm ! H'm ! He really is most dangerous in 
 that case. The Manoels must have shown him, and 
 they are now in South America. The question is 
 how many other people did they allow to see what 
 he saw ? " 
 
 " He may have gone in while the place stood empty 
 that winter we got it back. It was empty from 
 October to January, and he was in Geneva all that 
 time," put in Diane. 
 
 " That is possible yes, that is possible. I do not 
 think Manoel during his tenancy would have been so 
 imprudent as to take him down there among all the 
 smuggled arms. In that case, it is possible that 
 Coverley is the only person who has been down there. 
 H'm ! H'm ! I must reflect on this for to be useful, 
 it should be done quickly."
 
 112 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 His wife glanced at the clock. " He'll be here in an 
 hour's time," she remarked. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV GILLES BREAKS OUT 
 
 As Ned Coverley walked up the hill to d'Almier that 
 evening with his two companions, Hardcastle and 
 Miss Drew, he was somewhat perturbed by the un- 
 deniable state of his own feelings. 
 
 For more than a year he had looked upon himself 
 as a nerve case a man for whom the normal, com- 
 fortable delights of wife, home and children, were out 
 of the question. Since the night of the dance at the 
 " Charmant " he had imperceptibly been moving 
 towards a wholly different attitude. 
 
 Verona Merton was by no means perfect she was 
 not at all the kind of girl whom he used to picture as 
 his ideal. She was a most concrete example of modern 
 flippancy and irreverence of inexperience joined to 
 a truly wonderful self-confidence. And yet yet 
 
 She had opened to him the gate into quite a new 
 world. She had given him thrills of a kind he had 
 never thought to experience. Somehow he knew 
 that there was another side to her that the man 
 who won her heart would win something worth having, 
 something delightfully faulty, tantalisingly human. 
 
 The anticipation of seeing her soon, of encountering 
 her blithe carelessness, her absurd assumption of 
 independence, her boyish flirtation and unexpected 
 sallies, made his heart quicken and everything else 
 seem uninteresting. Like all lovers, he had passed 
 through a phase of acute depression in which he felt 
 that the affair was hopeless that he was neither
 
 GILLES BREAKS OUT 113 
 
 young nor handsome, nor anything else that a girl 
 would find attractive. This was succeeded by a fierce 
 resolve to become and to do anything which might 
 overcome all difficulties the age-long determination 
 of the male to achieve his purpose in spite of every- 
 thing. 
 
 Things being so with him, he had been considerably 
 vexed by the glimpse he believed himself to have had 
 of Raumont's influence over Vere. 
 
 In short, he disliked the idea of her being up there 
 in the isolated chateau, day in, day out, with only her 
 aunt and that man. The knowledge that she was 
 down in Geneva with the Billie Armitages, safe and 
 amused in a healthy fashion, was a comfort to him. 
 He turned the thought of her and Gilles Raumont 
 over and over in his mind, and it made him most 
 uneasy. He knew something of the man's power, 
 even upon one of his own sex. 
 
 On their first meeting he had given her a warning ; 
 to-night he meant to repeat it more seriously, more 
 emphatically. 
 
 The prospect that he might have her to himself as 
 they made the ascent excited him almost too much. 
 Miss Drew had remarked the previous day to Hard- 
 castle : 
 
 " What has come over Ned Coverley ? He is 
 younger, better-looking more human what have 
 you been doing to him ? " 
 
 " Leaving him to Nature, the kind old nurse," 
 smiled the padre. " And she is teaching him, if I'm 
 not mistaken, the rhymes of the universe quite quickly." 
 
 " Miss Merton's a very taking girl," Miss Drew 
 admitted, " but she seems to be in with the Armitages 
 and their set. I shouldn't suppose Ned stood much 
 of a chance." 
 
 H
 
 114 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " You never can tell. The attraction of opposites, 
 you know. If I were in a tight place, I would sooner 
 have Ned with me than almost anybody I could 
 think of." 
 
 " That wouldn't weigh with a girl like her! Life's 
 all externals to the modern girl." 
 
 " Disappointed to hear you say that. The modern 
 girl is my particular admiration. She is at least 
 making the attempt to think for herself, which her 
 mother never did ; and she is also fighting her way 
 out of the slough of sentiment, though the result at 
 present is a somewhat repelling hardness. I am 
 hopeful that, even though she herself is an incalculable 
 creature, full of contradictions and perhaps not amount- 
 ing to much in the way of achievement, her daughter 
 may reap the benefit of her mother's revolt against 
 convention." 
 
 ' You're an incurable optimist." 
 
 " Anyway, if a man is to marry at all, he has got 
 to marry a modern girl, hasn't he ? Ned is an able 
 fellow ; I believe him capable of influencing a woman 
 strongly." 
 
 " But what of Raumont ? That snaky cosmopoli- 
 tan ? If it comes to influencing, he would have the 
 best of it every time, since Ned is scrupulous and he 
 is not." 
 
 " If Miss Merton is attracted by Raumont, I grant 
 you that Ned's chance is negligible ; but is she ? 
 That's the point." 
 
 When they arrived at d'Almier, they found Vere, 
 Raumont, and the two Armitages on the terrace, 
 leaning over the parapet, gazing down in the blue 
 dusk over the plain. Jocelyn had never seen Geneva 
 from that angle before, and was much interested in 
 being able to study the great city lying there like a
 
 GILLES BREAKS OUT 115 
 
 map far below her. They were discussing the exact 
 distance between their flat and the chateau, trying to 
 identify the Maison Baldwin through Billie's field- 
 glasses. 
 
 " Well," said Billie, when greetings had been ex- 
 changed, and Aunt Diane had called from the doorway 
 to Miss Drew to come indoors and talk to her for a 
 few minutes. " You see that spire, Jo, the squarish 
 one, considerably to the left of the Cathedral. Got 
 it ? Carry your eye on from that, slightly nearer 
 here, slightly lower down. See the corner of a high 
 building that looks very white ? " 
 
 " Got it," announced Jo after a careful pause. 
 
 " Very well then, from the white building, left, past 
 seven chimney-stacks. There! That's the Maison 
 Baldwin! " 
 
 " Oh, do let me look! " cried Vere. 
 
 " It'll be too dark to see in about two minutes 
 more," said Jocelyn, handing her the glasses. " How 
 glad I am you brought those, Billie! Now guide 
 Vere as you did me." 
 
 ' What ripping glasses," observed Vere in a fascin- 
 ated way. " Oh! There's a light just popped up in 
 one of your windows, Jo ! " 
 
 " Is there ? Not many windows facing this way. 
 Must be the bath-room " 
 
 " And now there's another in the window next 
 
 it that's your dressing-room, Bill." 
 
 " Let's look," said Billie, taking the glasses. " Yes, 
 Barrett going his rounds, shutting up. Little does 
 he think we are spying on him, checking his move- 
 ments, the old scout! " 
 
 " Fancy being able to see so clearly, all that way 
 miles upon miles," mused Vere. 
 
 "Not so very many only between five and
 
 Il6 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 six, I should say, as the crow flies," Coverley told 
 her. 
 
 As he spoke, Stein, the shaggy man-servant (an 
 Alsatian, so the Baronne said), came out on the steps 
 and rang a bell. 
 
 " Come, everybody! Supper! " cried Vere gleefully. 
 " In spite of that ineffable lunch at the ' Splendide ' I'm 
 hungry. I hope everybody else is! Come on, Bill! " 
 
 She seized his lordship by the arm and whirled him 
 along the terrace, the others following. She was in 
 her most impish mood, and full of folly, grumbling 
 loudly because she might not sit next Uncle Loo, the 
 two places of honour being naturally assigned to Lady 
 Billie and Miss Drew. 
 
 " Hush, hush ! " said Bill. "Sit still! Little girls 
 should be seen and not heard. Uncle Bill is as good 
 as Uncle Loo any day of the week. You ask Uncle 
 Loo if that's not so." 
 
 " Give the baby some food, to stop her mouse," 
 grinned Uncle Loo amiably. " Ve spoil that 
 infant, I tell you all she must be kept hi better 
 order." 
 
 " Nobody here equal to the task," said Vere pro- 
 vocatively. 
 
 " Is it wise to challenge us ? " asked Hardcastle, 
 with a twinkle. 
 
 11 We-ell, if it was anybody, it would be you, padre, 
 who might " 
 
 " Ho, ho, what about me ? " demanded Gilles. 
 
 ' You ? Why, you are just a skein of silk, to be 
 wound round my fingers ! You, indeed ! " 
 
 ' Yes, I will wind myself round your fingers, and 
 then your wrists, and then your arms till all of a 
 sudden you find the skein of silk has bound you 
 fast ! "
 
 GILLES BREAKS OUT 117 
 
 " Goot, Gilles, ve-e-ry goot ! " crowed Uncle Loo. 
 " Take her down a peg ! " 
 
 Ned longed to find a repartee, something to show 
 that he stood up for Vere, but in vain. He was 
 feeling too strongly to have his wits in proper working 
 order. Raumont was in a state of tense excitement, 
 owing partly to the scheme on foot for that night, 
 and partly to his triumphant hypnotism of the uncon- 
 scious little boaster, and the knowledge of his ability 
 to apply blackmail if she withstood him. He took 
 pleasure in showing Coverley in a dozen covert ways 
 that he knew all about the state of his emotions and 
 was in a position to checkmate him if and when he 
 pleased. 
 
 The Baronne, particularly intent upon enter- 
 taining Lord Billie, was less keenly observant of 
 Gilles than usual ; and the by-play went on all 
 supper- time. 
 
 It seemed to the lover that Vere was altogether on 
 the side of Raumont, and was taking delight in his 
 Ned's torment. As a fact, no girl is ever unaware 
 of the presence of two men whom she can play off, 
 one against the other ; and few can resist such a 
 chance. Vere was all the time pretending to a far 
 greater intimacy, a far greater sympathy than really 
 existed between herself and Gilles. It gave her an 
 odd satisfaction to see Coverley weaponless against 
 her and writhing under her thrusts. Needless to say, 
 Gilles played up to it all. The fire was mounting in 
 him to such a pitch that he knew the first time he 
 was alone with her it would break into a blaze. The 
 mere anticipation of enfolding her so tightly that she 
 could not elude him, of kissing that maddening mouth 
 until his passion enkindled hers was so exciting that 
 it frightened him. He knew that this was no moment
 
 Il8 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 for giving way to such impulses ; but with the stimulus 
 of Coverley's jealousy to urge him on, he let himself 
 go ; and thus brought upon himself a most unexpected 
 rebuff. 
 
 The foot of the winding stone stair which led to 
 the tower rooms came out on the passage through 
 which Vere must pass whenever she went from her 
 room to the head of the staircase. When, after they 
 had dined and smoked, Vere went upstairs to prepare 
 for her nocturnal expedition, the thought that she 
 would be all night with Coverley and without him 
 flooded Raumont with such fury that he lost all pru- 
 dence, and determined that at all risks he would 
 dominate her for a few moments just time enough 
 to lay upon her the injunction not to permit any kind 
 of love-making. 
 
 It was pitch dark in the passage, but there were 
 no steps, and Vere came swiftly along it, floating as 
 it were on the crest of a wave of exhilaration, triumph- 
 ing in her uncaptured, dominant girlhood. He could 
 just see the outline of her as she came, but he was 
 completely invisible to her. The buoyancy of her 
 progress, the little wind of her coming, drove the last 
 remnant of prudence from him. As she passed 
 he caught her strongly, with an effect of deliberate 
 retention, and held her against him while he mur- 
 mured : "It's only me Gilles my beloved don't 
 struggle " 
 
 Had he believed her already encaged, unable to 
 resist him ? If so, he had a rude awakening. 
 Her right arm had remained free, and she slapped 
 his face so heartily that a cry of actual pain escaped 
 him. 
 
 " Gilles, are you mad ? Or only tipsy ? What 
 are you thinking about ? " she uttered in a furious
 
 GILLES BREAKS OUT 119 
 
 whisper. " Let me go or I'll scream for Aunt Diane 
 do you hear ? " 
 
 It was the one threat he feared. If Diane knew, 
 all would be over. He released her as suddenly as 
 he had grabbed her, but muttered something that she 
 waited to hear. " You you you lead a man on 
 yes, you did ! You gave me your eyes, you tempted 
 me and now you think you can run away and leave 
 me can go and amuse yourself with your other lover ? 
 Well, you can't, do you hear ? I order you, I command 
 you . . ." 
 
 " That will be all from you, Gilles quite all," said 
 the low voice out of the darkness, at once raging and 
 frigid. " You must have taken leave of your senses ! 
 I thought we were friends, you and I, but after this " 
 she paused on a note that gave him an instant's 
 hope a note of regret ; but when she continued her 
 tone had changed to irritated contempt. " Oh, you 
 had better go upstairs and put your head in a basin 
 of cold water. And if you want me to speak to you 
 again, you will understand that there will have to 
 be an apology first from you." 
 
 It was enough. She had sealed her own fate. After 
 such humiliation he would not spare. He listened to 
 her light footfall descending the stairs heard Miss 
 Drew call to say she and the padre were going on 
 ahead, to get a start, as they were the slower heard 
 Diane intervene to explain that Branting was waiting 
 with the car, to drive them through the village, to 
 the point at which the mountain path took off from 
 the road. The voices drifted away to the gate. 
 Raumont stood shaken with a cold rage of mingled 
 desire and hatred. In the dark he sank down upon 
 the stair, biting his lips, tearing a handkerchief to 
 ribbons ; feeling as he used to feel when, mad with
 
 120 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 conquest, he had rushed with the German forces into 
 some French town, seized some shrieking woman and 
 wreaked upon a defenceless thing the fury that filled 
 him. 
 
 CHAPTER XV THE BOMB FALLS 
 
 AN hour later, Ned Coverley found himself walking 
 tete-h-tete with Vere upon the mountain road, con- 
 siderably ahead of the four others. 
 
 It was dark, for a good deal of the way is through 
 trees, and the moon shone from behind the mountain, 
 throwing the plain of Geneva into strong relief. To 
 the man it was a night of enchantment. Something, 
 he did not ask what, had suddenly changed Vere's 
 mood. She seemed to him less self-sufficient than 
 usual ; rather like a child who has been frightened 
 and runs to its elder for protection ; but as they 
 went on, the solemnity of night stole unawares into 
 their hearts and they began to talk in the true sense, 
 that is to say, they began to exchange ideas. Before 
 Ned quite knew what was happening, he was avowing 
 to her that religion had been the force which had, he 
 believed, saved his intellect from becoming unbalanced ; 
 and, to his surprise, she was interested. She did not 
 sneer, nor did she seem bored, but asked intelligent 
 questions, and by degrees let drop one or two of her 
 own crude theories, appearing somewhat impressed by 
 the ease with which he disposed of them. From time 
 to time they stopped, in order to be certain that the 
 others were coming on, but continued their talk 
 inevitably, one thing leading to another, until they 
 found themselves discussing affinities, and the curious
 
 THE BOMB FALLS 121 
 
 magnetism which will draw one man to one woman 
 with wholly unforeseen strength. 
 
 " Gilles Raumont," said Ned, as indifferently as he 
 could, " is a very magnetic person " 
 
 " Gilles Raumont," cut in Vere with sharpness, " is 
 not nearly so clever as he supposes himself to be." 
 
 " You think not ? " 
 
 " I know it. He doesn't in the least understand an 
 English girl. It's a pity, because he's interesting in 
 some ways." 
 
 " I hate to say anything against a man," said Ned 
 haltingly, " but I know for a fact that he is not trust- 
 worthy. I would say this to his face if need be. 
 It was my accidental discovery of this side of his 
 character that led me to break free from him. I 
 could no longer put myself into the hands of a man I 
 did not trust." 
 
 " I should think not! Curious that he should be 
 such a mixture of attractiveness and oh, something 
 one dislikes heartily! " 
 
 He laughed. " We're all mixtures, if you come to 
 that." 
 
 " I know I am," she admitted. " There are two 
 me's, one that wants to be good, and one that is 
 utterly determined to do anything I damn well please, 
 without reference to goodness or badness." 
 
 " If the second one you mention were in the as- 
 cendant, would Raumont have a chance ? " 
 
 " What do you mean ? That I like him so enor- 
 mously that I would do anything at his bidding, good 
 or bad? " 
 
 " Don't box my ears if I say yes, I think you might." 
 
 " What makes you suppose such a thing ? " She 
 was most indignant. 
 
 " I've been wondering whether to tell you or not,
 
 122 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 and I've decided that I will. I saw him call you to 
 him when you had no notion that he was doing so ; 
 and you obeyed the call." 
 
 He had expected the torrent of protest which 
 ensued. She demanded details when where how. 
 He told her exactly what had occurred on the steamer. 
 " He did not fix his attention upon you for more 
 than a couple of minutes, but it was enough. For 
 pity's sake, be careful, don't give him chances, he is 
 not scrupulous, and he would not care to what use 
 he put such a power." 
 
 " I can't believe it," Vere reiterated ; but the 
 nameless uneasiness which had worried her of late 
 urged her to tell Coverley what had befallen on the 
 mountain-side when she had been so easily hypnotised ; 
 and having once begun, his keen interest led her on 
 until she had described the whole incident. " I 
 thought little of it at the time, and it has never hap- 
 pened since. He tried the other night to make me 
 crystal-gaze, but I refused point-blank." 
 
 " What did he say then ? " 
 
 " Oh he didn't press me at all. The thing just 
 lay in my lap and we talked a bit ; and then well, 
 I was feeling awfully sleepy, after a long day out of 
 doors, and so I went to bed." 
 
 " You didn't by any chance go to sleep with the 
 ball in your lap ? " he asked searchingly ; and noted 
 with anxiety her hesitation before replying. 
 
 " N-no, I don't think so, though I was very sleepy ; 
 but I feel sure I cannot have slept really, because my 
 drowsiness only lasted a second. When I awoke, 
 Gilles was still saying what he had begun to say 
 when I dropped off ; something about the tiny picture 
 of the room which the crystal gave ..." 
 
 " But you did ' drop off ' as you say ? "
 
 THE BOMB FALLS 123 
 
 " For an instant I must have done as one some- 
 times loses consciousness for a moment in sermon- 
 time . . ." Ned made no reply, his brows were knit, 
 and she added : " I I didn't like it myself. After 
 his putting me to sleep so easily on the hill-side I was 
 determined not to run any risks. But I had no vision 
 of any kind that evening with the ball ... as you 
 know I had, the first time. I really think I just 
 nodded a moment, then got up and went to bed." 
 
 " I hope that's so. If ... if Raumont has been 
 up to any of his devilry with you . . . you . . . I'll 
 make him repent it to the end of his life." 
 
 Something in the growling note of the big man's 
 voice made Vere shiver. The force in Coverley was 
 quite unlike the force in Gilles. It was something 
 she had not hitherto met, something to be reckoned 
 with. Meanwhile, the dread lest she had put herself 
 into the power of Gilles, recurred alarmingly. 
 
 She recalled her own terror, on the first night after 
 her vision, lest she might be drawn out of her room 
 at his pleasure while she was unconscious. Since her 
 visit to Geneva, that fear had faded utterly into the 
 background. Now it revived. " You don't seriously 
 think him capable of of playing tricks ? " she de- 
 manded ; and to her own vexation her voice shook. 
 
 " Since you ask me, yes, I do." 
 
 They were not walking at the moment, but had sat 
 down on boulders by the roadside to await the others. 
 
 ' Well," she said sharply, after a pause, " what do 
 you think I had better do about it ? " 
 
 He was at a loss what to say. After what she had 
 told him he really feared for her. He could feel the 
 drops break out on his brow with the stress of the 
 moment. He felt inclined to cry out : " Marry me, 
 and come away out of it ! " but that, he knew, would
 
 124 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 be the plea of a lunatic. He was devoured with that 
 fierce desire to shield the thing he loved, which is one 
 of the most primitive male instincts. Yet he knew 
 that he had absolutely no grounds for interference 
 except the solitary fact that she had appealed to him. 
 In his perplexity forgetting all ceremony he blurted 
 out : " Vere, tell me are you in love with him ? " 
 
 She said nothing for a long time long enough for 
 him to hear in the silence the tread of approaching 
 feet but when she spoke it was without resentment. 
 " I may have been ... a little . . . until this 
 evening." 
 
 " You mean, until now ? " 
 
 " No. He did something before just before we 
 started which made me jolly wild." 
 
 " I suppose I mustn't . . . ask . . . what ? " 
 
 " No," said she in a voice suddenly steely, " you 
 mustn't ask what." As she spoke she rose to her 
 feet with an air of terminating the discussion. 
 
 " Vere," he implored her " Vere, tell me ! " 
 
 " Shut up, here's the padre and Miss Drew," she 
 muttered ; and Coverley in a stifled voice growled 
 out : "I beg pardon, Miss Merton." 
 
 Vere raised her voice to the two who came up. 
 " Hallo ! Where are the Billies ? " 
 
 Hardcastle replied. " They've turned back. Lady 
 Billie was a little faint overdone, he thought and so 
 they've gone back to the chateau." 
 
 ' What a mean hound Billie is ! " cried Vere crossly. 
 " I knew Jo was overdoing herself, and he just let 
 her ! Why did she go down to that silly old Guenle 
 de Loup this afternoon if it was too much for her ? " 
 
 A conversation ensued, Hardcastle remarking that 
 he should not care to arrive at the chateau late at 
 night and essay the task of arousing those within.
 
 THE BOMB FALLS 125 
 
 " One would want a bugle of the Childe Roland type 
 to blow." 
 
 " Oh," said Vere, " Mr. and Mrs. Stein sleep over 
 the garage ; the best way would be to awaken them, 
 he is sure to have a key." 
 
 " To tell you the truth, I suggested that, and his 
 lordship seemed to think it was a wheeze." 
 
 " Oh, then they're all right ; but how disappointing 
 for them and for us ! " 
 
 " Well, if we don't get a move on, we shan't see 
 the sunrise from anywhere near the top," observed 
 Coverley. " We haven't got to the Cinq Erables yet, 
 and it's a long way on above that." 
 
 They set off at a good pace, but Vere this time 
 walked with the padre. Her mind was in a ferment, 
 and for the present she wanted no more intimate 
 conversation with Coverley. 
 
 Meanwhile the Armitages moved leisurely downward 
 through the dark and solitary woodland that covered 
 the mountain road. 
 
 " The main thing," observed Billie softly, " is, not 
 to be seen. You must stay out of the way, old thing, 
 completely out of sight. I've only got about half a 
 dozen keys, but I ought to be able to open that pad- 
 lock. Had a good look at it when Vere showed us 
 the door leading down from outside measured the 
 keyhole with my eagle eye. I'll get a look, see if I 
 don't ! If they haven't got arms and ammunition 
 down there, then anybody that likes may take my 
 job ! Motor lorry full of furniture army of work- 
 men ! It's not a bad stunt, but it's pretty obvious, 
 all the same, for anybody who, like me, knows a bit 
 about Uncle Loo ! "
 
 126 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Bill, be very careful. Men like that would think 
 nothing of shooting ..." 
 
 " Not they ! Not the Kilistrian envoy ! They 
 know better ! All Geneva knows I came up here this 
 afternoon to spend the week-end. If they wanted to 
 bring down the whole swarm of Secret Service men 
 with all the searchlights focused full on 'ern, they 
 couldn't do better than murder me here. No, my 
 dear, I'm safe enough for the moment, and, more- 
 over, I think they'll be off their guard to-night, 
 having set us off on the ' Excelsior ' stunt so 
 happily. So all is well, unless by some devilish 
 chance they've got wind of Raoul's arrival. If they 
 have . . /' 
 
 " Oh, it isn't possible ! But what would they be 
 likely to do if they had ? " 
 
 " That depends on several things ! If they have 
 concealed wireless, which is probable, they'll send the 
 glad news down to their pals in Geneva. If not, 
 one of 'em may have gone in person when we knock 
 'em up presently, it will be interesting if we find that 
 one of 'em is missing " 
 
 "A lot of use that would be, if " 
 
 " Pre-cisely if ! But trust me, old thing ; I'm 
 
 some lad, you know, when it comes to camouflage, 
 and I don't think they'll get him ! " 
 
 They had descended the road, which was folded on 
 itself, twist after twist, repeatedly, for some distance, 
 and had arrived at a point whence, as they leaned 
 on the outer wall, a perfect view of Geneva could be 
 obtained. 
 
 " There's our block," said Billie lazily. " Old 
 Barrett put in the signal lights just in the nick of 
 time, didn't he ? " 
 
 " Beautiful. I was surprised that we saw them so
 
 THE BOMB FALLS 127 
 
 well ! By the way, where's Emberson ? " Emberson 
 was their chauffeur. 
 
 " Somewhere round. I told him to be on the watch, 
 but on no account to let himself be seen. He'll pick 
 us up somewhere on the road from the village, I 
 expect ..." 
 
 Suddenly Jocelyn's hands gripped his muscular 
 arm convulsively. " Bill, oh, Billie, what was that ? 
 Look ! " 
 
 From the peaceful, moon-bathed city a flash had 
 gone up, followed by a cloud of smoke. 
 
 " Bill, it's our flat oh, boy, it's our home ! It's 
 on fire ! " 
 
 As she clung to him, gasping, sobbing with excite- 
 ment, a dull thud echoed across the plain. 
 
 " Jupiter ! " muttered Bill, stiffening like a pointer 
 dog. " That was a bomb, or I'm a Bolshie ! . . . Did 
 you hear a 'plane, girl ? " 
 
 " A 'plane ? " she faltered, bewildered. " I no I 
 why a 'plane ? " 
 
 "That must have been dropped from the air! 
 Look! the fire is at the top of the building! Ye 
 gods, how fast it's spreading! " 
 
 " Bill Bill our home ! Is it on fire ? " 
 
 " You bet it is! " He shuddered. " Jo, my girl, 
 that was a close call! " 
 
 "Oh, Jimmie, someone knew! Someone knew! " 
 
 " Knew that he had left Kilistria, knew the likeliest 
 place to look for him," muttered Bill savagely through 
 his teeth. " Well, Jo, there's only one thing to be 
 done, and that is get home as fast as the bus will run 
 us down. Old Wasserufer and his little illicit deals 
 must wait ; I must satisfy myself that all's well down 
 there, even if every one of your wedding presents has 
 gone up in smoke ! "
 
 128 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Jo was not of the weeping kind, but her self-control 
 at this awful moment cost her so much that she was 
 hardly conscious of what was said. Grasping BiU's 
 arm she staggered on with him down the road, hardly 
 able to realise what had happened, nor to follow her 
 husband's disjointed comments as they ran. 
 
 " Thank God," he said, as at last they emerged 
 from the mountain path into the road that led to the 
 village, " that our bus is garaged here and not up at 
 d'Almier! Buck up, darling, we'll find Emberson 
 waiting for us somewhere not far off." 
 
 Sannetier village lay sleeping, almost in shadow, for 
 the moon was near her setting. Through it they 
 hurried, as silently as possible until they came to the 
 Hotel des Erables, where their car and man had been 
 quartered. As they came up to the door, Emberson 
 stepped softly from the stable-yard and saluted. 
 
 " Just back from patrol, my lord," he said. " All 
 very quiet up at the castle, my lord. No lights 
 anywhere." 
 
 " By Jove, it isn't quiet down in the city though ! " 
 panted Billie desperately. " Somebody has dropped 
 a bomb from a 'plane and got our flat, I'm afraid. 
 Out with the bus, man, and we'll tumble in and be off 
 as fast as you can take us " 
 
 The man swore, white-faced, with dropped jaw. 
 " My Gawd ! How could they be on to us ? " 
 
 " Never mind that, be quick, man here, I'll help 
 you roll her out, so as to make no noise at this unholy 
 hour! Hold up a minute, Jo, we'll soon be off " 
 
 In very little more than that time they were on the 
 move and rolling swiftly down the road. For some 
 minutes Jocelyn sat with her face hidden in her hands, 
 struggling to collect herself to realise the deadly 
 peril from which the young king whom her husband
 
 THE BOMB FALLS 129 
 
 loved so devotedly had been saved only by the skin 
 of his teeth. 
 
 Presently she raised a ghastly face and gripped the 
 rigid arm of her companion. 
 
 "Bill! Bill! You don't think oh, it couldn't 
 be, I'm a beast to dream of it you don't think that 
 Vere . . ? ' 
 
 " Vere ....?... You mean, do I think Vere 
 could have given us away ? . . . Oh no, put that out 
 of your mind, there's nothing in it. Whoever pulled 
 off that stunt came a good many hundred miles for the 
 purpose. Even if we suppose Vere to be utterly 
 rotten and to have given us away at luncheon, to 
 somebody she met at the 'Splendide.' ..." 
 
 " Bill, she couldn't why, they were all my own 
 friends " 
 
 " Just so, I agree, it's wildly unlikely but my 
 
 point is that even if she had, and even if they wirelessed 
 off a message that moment, and the 'plane and the 
 pilot were ready and waiting it could hardly have 
 been done in the time. No ! It was a sheer gamble, 
 on the chance of his being in Geneva. If they guessed 
 where he had gone, they would bet on his being with 
 me. On the supposition that Vere may have given 
 us away when she got back to d'Almier, the thing's 
 doubly impossible. Old Wasserufer may have a con- 
 cealed wireless, but he can't have a tame 'plane any- 
 where in France, or Switzerland or even Italy. No! 
 That machine must have been hours on the way . . . 
 so, quite apart from our own opinion of Vere, I think 
 we may safely count her out of this job."
 
 CHAPTER XVI THE NEWS SPREADS 
 
 DAWN ! Dawn coming up behind Mont Blanc in 
 robes of splendour. 
 
 Why, it happens (every day. Each morning of 
 our lives the outgoings of the morning and the evening 
 have been praising God, and we have been lying in 
 bed with drawn blinds. 
 
 Coverley had seen dozens of these sunrises that sum- 
 mer, lying luxuriously in his room at the " Charmant," 
 with the whole panorama displayed before his window ; 
 but he owned that custom could not stale their in- 
 finite variety. 
 
 There was nobody but the little party of four on 
 the top of the Grande Louve that morning : nobody 
 to spoil it for them. 
 
 Vere said very little. She was horribly afraid of 
 gushing, or being sentimental. But Ned knew she 
 was profoundly moved. 
 
 When the pageant was over they descended as far 
 as the Cinq Erables, which have given their name to 
 the terminus of the mountain railway ; and in the 
 Restaurant de la Gare the ladies were able to make 
 some kind of a toilette, after which they attacked 
 Petit dejeuner with appetite. 
 
 They were still at table when the first train arrived 
 from below. 
 
 Vere was in high spirits. The solemnity with 
 which the dawn had inspired her had, as was very 
 usual in her case, produced reaction. Moreover it 
 Was morning, and she had not to face her dread of 
 night at the chateau for many long sunlit hours. 
 Coverley and the padre both led her on, for she amused 
 
 130
 
 THE NEWS SPREADS 131 
 
 them and Charles was well aware how good it was for 
 his friend to be made to laugh. 
 
 It was not until they wanted more hot milk, and 
 rang for it in vain, that they noticed that all the 
 waitresses had left the salle and were congregated 
 outside close to the just arrived train, the driver and 
 guard of which were evidently importing momentous 
 news. 
 
 A surprisingly large group of listeners for a place 
 almost without inhabitants was gathered round, and 
 there was much pointing downwards towards the 
 valley. 
 
 " Wonder if there's been an accident," said Ned. 
 
 " Tunnel fallen in, perhaps," suggested Hardcastle. 
 " You remember that odd shock we felt last night 
 when we were near the summit ? I said it was either 
 an earthquake or a landslide." 
 
 " If the tunnel had caved in, the train couldn't 
 have got up," observed Miss Drew dryly, " but let's 
 go and find out." 
 
 ' You wait here while I go," volunteered Coverley, 
 " it may be nothing at all except a railway man with 
 a grievance." He came back after an absence of 
 some minutes with a face which showed them the 
 news was serious. 
 
 " Thank God, Miss Merton," said he, " that you 
 and the Armitages were not in Geneva last night ! 
 Talk about Fate ! What do you think has happened ? 
 Somebody flew over the city last night and dropped 
 a bomb plump on the roof of the Armitage's flat ! " 
 
 Vere turned as white as a sheet. For a long, dread- 
 ful moment she was incapable of speech. Both 
 Hardcastle and Miss Drew were too much absorbed 
 in the news to notice her, but Ned did. He watched 
 her in silence as she fought to control the faintness
 
 132 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 which was creeping over her ; and saw with relief the 
 colour at last begin to return to her face as she listened 
 with breathless attention to his account of what had 
 happened. 
 
 " It caught fire at once, the whole place was in a 
 blaze. But fortunately there seems to have been no 
 
 loss of life " Vere started, hope and incredulity 
 
 fought in her. " It appears that Lord and Lady 
 Billie actually saw the thing happen saw it as they 
 came down the hill-side last night ! " 
 
 " How awful for them ! She is only a bride ! 
 Their home must have been full of lovely things ! " 
 cried Miss Drew. 
 
 " Some say the 'plane was actually seen," went on 
 Ned, " but it was between two and three o'clock, the 
 moon was getting low and nobody was about in the 
 streets. A lady sleeping with an open window in a 
 house near says she is sure she heard the sound of the 
 engine, just before the crash. The bomb exploded 
 with terrific force, the whole of the top of the house is 
 wrecked ; but the fire brigade, like everything else 
 in Switzerland, is so well organised, that they have 
 saved most of the other flats." 
 
 Vere felt herself able to speak, at last. 
 
 " The people in the flat," she gasped, snatching at 
 Ned's coat-sleeve in her eagerness for his answer. 
 
 " That's the most wonderful part of the whole 
 thing I was coming to that ! I told you that Lord 
 and Lady Billie saw the bomb fall as they came down 
 last night ? Well, it seems they got out their car and 
 dashed off, arriving in Geneva about two hours after- 
 wards, while the excitement was at its height ; and 
 Armitage, so I'm assured, told the police there was 
 nobody in the flat nobody at all." 
 
 " Oh, if only that's true, but I don't think it is ...
 
 THE NEWS SPREADS 133 
 
 I I mean to say ... I don't think it can be why, 
 Pat Pat Beresford, one of the English naval men 
 he went there to take Bill's place to see to his work 
 while he was away you know messages arrive at all 
 hours and then there was the staff " 
 
 " Armitage asserts that he gave them all leave for 
 the night. The driver says they are all of one family 
 father, mother, and daughter is that right, Miss 
 Merton ? " 
 
 She confirmed the statement. 
 
 " Well, they are saying out there, that these people 
 have relatives at a villa on the lakeside, some distance 
 from Geneva, and they were given leave to go to see 
 them, not returning till this morning. I tell you 
 Lord Billie is positive there was nobody there, and 
 certainly no sign of anybody was seen. Of course 
 they've not yet searched the ruins too hot still 
 but " 
 
 " What of the flat below ? " asked Hardcastle. 
 
 " That is most luckily empty. The new tenants 
 were to move in next week. It is considerably dam- 
 aged, I gather." 
 
 " Let us go out find out more," whispered Vere, 
 her fingers closing with a tenacity of which she was 
 quite unconscious, but which to the man was thrilling, 
 upon Ned's muscular arm. 
 
 "It's a bad knock for your friends," he told her 
 soothingly as he led her forth, " but they'll get over 
 it. No doubt they are insured." 
 
 " But why why ? " she could still hardly control 
 her voice. 
 
 " Why should their flat have been chosen ? Prob- 
 ably by accident. These bombs seldom reach their 
 objective, I'm old enough to remember how in London 
 during the war they always missed. I have little
 
 134 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 doubt that the thing was intended for the Fascists or 
 the Poles, who have premises quite close by." 
 
 " Oh, do you think so ? " 
 
 " Well, one doesn't see any reason for an attack on 
 Armitage. He is an Englishman, and the country he 
 represents is a small and friendly power, not of im- 
 portance enough to arouse serious enmity ; and 
 incidentally he personally is liked by everybody." 
 
 " Besides," chimed in Hardcastle, as they ap- 
 proached the chattering railway officials, " most 
 people must have known that the Armitages were 
 away. Clever criminals would not waste an attempt 
 like that too daring and too costly. No, I agree 
 with Ned, it is most unlikely that the bomb found its 
 intended billet." 
 
 It required an enormous effort on Vere's part not 
 to reply that that was all they knew about it ! 
 
 She was wild to see Billie and Jo, to look into their 
 faces and see whether the catastrophe she feared had 
 actually happened. She could not help suspecting 
 that somewhere in those smoking ruins, lay all that 
 was left of the splendid young man, the typical monarch 
 to whom she had been introduced . . . was it really 
 only the previous night, or rather morning ? . . . 
 
 How she wished she could have followed the volumin- 
 ous conversation between Ned and the train officials ! 
 A little of it she could understand ; and the padre 
 confirmed her impression that they were saying that 
 milord Armitage had prevented a heroic fireman from 
 entering the hot and smoking ruins, assuring him that 
 there was nothing living within. That was in a way 
 reassuring, but it might be taken two ways. The 
 finding of the body of the dead king would be an awful 
 thing a task which one could imagine that Bill would 
 feel must be performed as secretly as possible. The
 
 THE NEWS SPREADS 135 
 
 horror which had gripped her when the news of the 
 dropped bomb was given, still enveloped her like a 
 cloud of foreboding. 
 
 Was it possible that Raumont could read her 
 thought ? Had he in some occult fashion become 
 aware of the secret she was hiding ? 
 
 The knowledge of a thing of such importance had 
 naturally bulked largely in her mind. Could she 
 have communicated it unintentionally ? 
 
 As they entered the train and it moved slowly off 
 down the rackway, she felt angry with herself for her 
 wild and foolish speculations. Even if Raumont had 
 guessed her thought, what had he to do with the King 
 of Kilistria ? Yet Lord and Lady Billie had both 
 impressed upon her the necessity of keeping the 
 Wasserufers in ignorance of the royal visit. She was 
 in a state of mental restlessness, in which waiting for 
 news seemed intolerable. If only she could see Billie 
 or Jo she would know in a moment if all was well 
 or no! 
 
 At Sannetier-aux-Erables there were not very many 
 people on the platform. Among them she recognised, 
 with an inward motion of repugnance, the graceful 
 figure of Raumont, in white flannel tennis garb, 
 awaiting them. 
 
 They all got out, for it was the intention of Coverley, 
 the padre, and Miss Drew, to attend Mass at the 
 church in the village, in the interval between two 
 trains. 
 
 "Hallo! How are you all?" asked Raumont, 
 sauntering up and greeting them all with no trace of 
 nervousness. " None the worse for your exertions ? 
 Vere looks a bit up-all-nightish, I think ! But where 
 are Lord and Lady Billie ? " 
 
 " Well, that's a longish story," said Hardcastle,
 
 136 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 stroking his chin reflectively. " To the best of our 
 belief, they are in Geneva, occupied with the smoking 
 ruins of their home ; but I had better leave Miss 
 Merton to explain." 
 
 " The smoking ruins of their home ! " repeated 
 Gilles incredulously. " Is he drawing the long-bow ? " 
 he asked of Coverley with a grin, " but first of all let 
 me get my message off my chest. The Baronne wants 
 you aH to come up to d'Almier to lunch." 
 
 The Padre and Miss Drew excused themselves. 
 They were first going to church and then home to rest 
 and wash. Coverley, however, to Vere's great relief 
 and Raumont's almost evident disappointment, ac- 
 cepted ; and they went off to the car which was await- 
 ing them outside. 
 
 " Diane thought you'd be more or less all in," said 
 Gilles to Vere in tones whose gentleness and courtesy 
 seemed mutely pleading for pardon, " so she deter- 
 mined to send the car to meet the train. I came 
 along to give the invitation to the others, in case 
 Branting should not prove sufficiently persuasive. 
 Judging by your looks, my lady, it was a good thing 
 you did not have to foot it." 
 
 ' You must remember," said Vere, rallying herself, 
 " that this is practically my second nuit blanche, we 
 were at a ball the night before last until three in the 
 morning." 
 
 " Quite so," he said emphatically. " You'll be all 
 right if we send you to bye-bye early this evening! 
 And now tell me forthwith what is the meaning of 
 the flight of the Armitages, and the Padre's wild talk 
 of the smoking ruins of their home ? "
 
 CHAPTER XVII NO LIVES LOST 
 
 NOTHING could have been more calm and peaceful 
 than the terrace of the chateau when Vere returned 
 to it that sunny Sunday morning. 
 
 Under the orange-striped awning sat Aunt Diane 
 and Uncle Loo, basking in the delicious warmth. 
 There was a plentiful supply of cool drinks, which 
 Vere and Ned accepted with gratitude ; but as soon 
 as they had quenched their thirst Gilles urged them 
 to repeat the astonishing news they had already given 
 to him. It was heard in a kind of stupor of incredulity. 
 
 " Well! " said Aunt Diane when all was told, " but 
 that's perfectly wild ! A bomb dropped on Geneva, 
 of all cities in the world ! . . . And in peace-time, 
 too! " 
 
 " Sounds a bit inappropriate, doesn't it ? " agreed 
 Ned with a grin. " But of course it dropped on the 
 wrong roof. That's the awful part of these bombs, 
 they always kill a dozen harmless onlookers, even 
 when they do manage to get the person actually 
 aimed at." 
 
 " Any loss of life in this case ? " asked Uncle Loo 
 quickly. 
 
 Ned shrugged his shoulders. " We have only the 
 trainmen's story, but according to them, nobody at 
 all. Providence certainly guided you, Baronne, when 
 you invited those young people here for the week-end." 
 
 ' You may well say so ! And Vere my precious 
 child she might have been there too ! Come, my 
 darling, and let me give you a special kiss, because 
 you are safe. What would your father have said 
 eh?" 
 
 37
 
 138 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Herr ]b!" ejaculated Uncle Loo. " I too must 
 have a congratulatory kiss when you suggest a so 
 horrid possibility! " 
 
 Vere laughingly embraced the two. At the moment 
 they seemed to her genuinely kind, genuinely fond of 
 her. They could not have had anything to do with 
 the terrible outrage under discussion. 
 
 " And you say the Armitages actually saw it hap- 
 pen! But how extraordinary! " mused the Baronne. 
 " And they drove down to Geneva there and then ! . . . 
 Lord Billie should have brought his wife here first! " 
 
 " I expect they did not like to disturb you, as it was 
 so late," said Ned. " We were remarking, on our way 
 home this morning that we didn't think it would be 
 easy to awaken anyone in this chateau if they were 
 sleeping." 
 
 " But nothing easier," said Uncle Loo. " My man 
 Stein has a key to the back door, and the bell beside 
 it rings into the room where he and his wife sleep. 
 We should have mentioned that, Diane, to our visitors ; 
 but we did not think of someone turning back, did 
 we ? " 
 
 Her eyes met his, questioningly. " No. We did 
 not think of that," she replied in tones whose lazy 
 indifference contrasted sharply with that glance. 
 
 Vere owned herself too tired for tennis. The shock 
 she had received had considerably unnerved her. 
 After further talk on the engrossing subject, Ned and 
 Gilles moved off to the courts to play singles. The 
 Baronne and her husband disappeared into the house ; 
 and Vere, left alone on the sunny terrace, rolled into 
 the hammock and instantly fell sound asleep. 
 
 An hour later she was aroused by the loud and 
 cheery voice of Lord Billie, close by. " What ho, there, 
 within ! Anybody about in this feudal fortress hey ? "
 
 NO LIVES LOST 139 
 
 Vere was out of the hammock with a bound, flying 
 to where Jo and Billie stood by the open door, and 
 hurling herself into Jo's arms. 
 
 " Oh, Jo Jo, darling quick, quick, before anybody 
 comes ! One word, only one is it all right ? " 
 
 " Right as rain," whispered Jo. " I thought you 
 would be frantic, that's really why we came at once. 
 We were so afraid that in your fear you might let out 
 something." 
 
 " I didn't ! I didn't ! But the strain was awful. 
 Oh ! Oh ! The relief ! It's almost too much ! " 
 
 " Hold on a bit," adjured Jo sharply. " Don't 
 overdo it, you know. Our chairs and tables are a 
 loss, but they weren't priceless remember that ! " 
 
 Vere nodded in quick understanding, and the 
 Armitages went forward to receive the cordial and 
 concerned welcome of the Baronne and her husband, 
 who emerged eagerly from the house. The tennis 
 players also had heard the ringing voice of Bill, and 
 came running up. 
 
 " Hallo, Armitage, how goes it ? " cried Coverley. 
 " Here we are with our mouths open, awaiting the 
 authentic version. What really has happened ? " 
 
 " Well," said Bill dryly, " with the exception of 
 Jo's jewels and our silver, which were in the safe, 
 and the clothes we brought up here yesterday, we 
 are denuded of all we possess. The safe fell through 
 the floor into the flat underneath, and was salvaged. 
 But here we are, and we stand as beggars and suppliants 
 before the lord and lady of the castle, begging them 
 to extend their kind hospitality to us for a day or 
 two, just until we can find somewhere to go." 
 
 The Baronne and Uncle Loo at once exploded in 
 vociferous hospitality. Anything they could do the 
 visitors were more than welcome. " An ill wind that
 
 140 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 blows nobody goot," cried Wasserufer; " at least it 
 give us the pleasure of your gompany ! " 
 
 " And you are so brave ! " The Baronne took 
 Jo's hand and patted it fondly. " Just think ! You 
 have lost your home ! All those lovely bibelots ..." 
 
 " Bit fierce, wasn't it ? " Billie admitted. " The men 
 say the bomb must have fallen right on the bed in 
 our guest-room ! Vere might have been there and if 
 she had been well, we should have had only a tiny 
 heap such as the pussy cats wept over in ' Struwwel- 
 peter 'with crape bows on their tails you know, Vere ! ' ' 
 
 " Now," said Uncle Loo gravely, " you say ' the 
 bomb fell.' Are you certain that it fell ? Is it not 
 far more likely that it was brought into the flat, and 
 left there to explode ? " 
 
 " No, Heir Wasserufer, I don't think that can be 
 so, for the sound reason that I feel sure the bomb 
 wasn't intended to drop on us insignificant innocents 
 who never did anybody any harm, but killed the mice 
 in father's barn. The bomb was surely meant for 
 Radkin ; the Soviet has had it in for him for some 
 time, and I have once or twice thought that he might 
 get what was coming to him in Geneva. Anyway, 
 he's bolted was off before dawn, they tell me the 
 minute somebody said ' bomb ' ; and nobody seems 
 clear as to where he's gone to." 
 
 " Inteet ! Inteet ! " muttered Uncle Loo. " Radkin 
 off eh ? So ! It does not surprise me. But you, 
 my poor unlucky children, you have had no sleep " 
 
 " And practically no breakfast. In fact, Jo's been 
 through about as much as she can stand. If we may 
 have some food, I'll put her to bed directly after- 
 wards, and bless your hospitable roof ! " 
 
 " They were saying, on the train, that you two 
 actually saw the explosion ? " asked Raumont.
 
 NO LIVES LOST 14! 
 
 " Yes," said Jo, " that was a lucky chance ! Do 
 you remember how we picked out the Maison Baldwin 
 from this terrace yesterday evening ? Well, as we 
 came down the Grande Louve the moon was low, 
 but still the city was visible, though dimly, and 
 we stopped to see how much we could make out. 
 Then all of a sudden, as I watched, there was a flash 
 and a flame leapt up and then a torrent of black 
 smoke . . ." 
 
 " Did you see the 'plane ? " pursued Raumont 
 insistently. 
 
 Billie reflected. " I can't be certain," said he. " I 
 thought I saw something move, I can't say more 
 than that. One of these Moths, I expect, a tiny 
 thing, difficult to pick up even by daylight. Flying 
 without lights it would be hard to see, and the way 
 the smoke rose up in billowing clouds was enough to 
 hide anything " 
 
 " And so you hurried down, roused your chauffeur, 
 and went off in your car ? " 
 
 " We did. There seemed no sense in awakening you 
 all up here. Of course, we couldn't be dead certain 
 till we got there that it was on the Maison Baldwin ; 
 but, as the flame leapt, it illumined everything for just 
 a second, and Jo and I were both positive that we 
 identified it ... so naturally we felt we must go and 
 see." 
 
 The burning topic engrossed them during the whole 
 of dejeuner, as was natural. Immediately after, Vere 
 took off Jo and put her to bed. She ventured, some- 
 what timidly, upon a few questions when they were 
 alone. 
 
 " You knew when you saw the explosion that 
 there was nobody in the flat ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ; because we had seen Barrett's signal.
 
 142 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 You may remember, when we were looking through 
 Bill's field-glasses last night, we saw a light in the 
 bath-room and then in Bill's dressing-room ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes ! " 
 
 " Well, that was the signal we had agreed upon 
 with Barrett. As soon as the coast was clear, he was 
 to send it. We thought it a dozen chances to one 
 against our seeing it, but fortunately we did." 
 
 Vere heaved a big sigh. " Oh, if you could guess 
 what the relief is to know it was all right ! " She 
 hesitated, fingering nervously the things on Jo's 
 dressing-table. Then she blurted out : ' You know, 
 or have heard, I expect, what an expert hypnotiser 
 Gilles Raumont is ? Well, a while ago, I stupidly let 
 him hypnotise me, for fun ; and now I have an uneasy 
 feeling as if I had given him a sort of latch-key to 
 my mind, so that he could pick out a secret and read 
 it without my knowing that he had done so." 
 
 Jo, who was taking off her hat, turned from the 
 mirror with a scared face. " Heavens, Vere, that's 
 not possible, is it ? " 
 
 " Well, I hope it isn't ; but it's a beastly feeling." 
 
 " I should think so ! Oh, Vere, don't let him 
 do it any more be on your guard, for pity's 
 sake! " 
 
 She showed so much concern and was so upset by 
 the avowal, that it took Vere a long time to soothe 
 her, and she wished she had said nothing at all about 
 it, as she assured Jo that under no pretext would she 
 ever again permit such a thing to happen. 
 
 " You know," said Jo, " Bill and I could not help 
 the thought just flashing into our minds that you were 
 the only person who knew ; but Bill says it would 
 not have been possible in the time ; unless, of course, 
 you telephoned them yesterday, and I am pretty sure
 
 FLIRTING WITH DANGER 143 
 
 you did not do that. If you had told them when you 
 got home yesterday evening, Bill says even with 
 wireless he doesn't think they could have got a 'plane 
 in time " 
 
 Poor Vere's face of sheer horror made her break 
 off. 
 
 " But but, you must have known I wouldn't oh, 
 you must have known that ! . . . and Jo, you are 
 talking as if Aunt Diane and Uncle Loo were enemies 
 as if they had done this " 
 
 " As a matter of fact," Jo soothed her, " although 
 there is no doubt that they are not friendly to Kilistria, 
 Bill doesn't think they had any hand in this. He 
 believes it was someone the other end ; someone who 
 knew the king had left Kilistria. Odd that the 
 Soviet man should bolt, wasn't it ? But in his case, 
 the alibi is even better, for he was certainly not in an 
 aeroplane last night ; there are a dozen witnesses to 
 prove that he was in bed and asleep, that he was 
 awakened by the crash, that he came out of bed in a 
 blue funk, packed his things and hopped it as fast 
 as he could ! No ! Bill is certain it was engineered 
 from the other end, so that's that. But, oh, my 
 beloved child, make that snake Raumont keep his 
 hands off you! " 
 
 Vere thought of the episode of the previous night, 
 and shuddered. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII FLIRTING WITH DANGER 
 
 THE presence of Billie and Jo in the castle gave to 
 Vere a sense of confidence and security which induced 
 sound sleep that night.
 
 144 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Next day, the Armitages went off early in their car> 
 in order to be at hand during the exploration of the 
 ruins of their home, to interview officials, and to seek 
 some furnished flat which they could take until their 
 own was rebuilt ; for rebuilding was already an- 
 nounced as possible. So solid was the structure of 
 the Maison Baldwin that the four under-flats were 
 untouched, only the fifth and sixth being injured. 
 
 After seeing them off, Vere accepted the challenge 
 of Gilles to a game of tennis. He was improving with 
 practice, and although she won both sets, it was only 
 by hard play. 
 
 " Soon, you'll be able to conquer me," she said, as 
 they sat down to get cool. 
 
 " I wish I could think it," he replied sadly, " but 
 after my bad break the night before last, I have pretty 
 well lost all hope." 
 
 This deliberate perversion of her meaning irritated 
 Vere ; but her sharp word died away unuttered at 
 sight of his disarming demeanour. He spoke with 
 head downcast and a break in his voice. Ever since 
 that unfortunate episode his manner to her had been 
 that of a suppliant gentle and appealing. She had 
 not expected his present attitude, however, and for 
 the moment she had nothing to say. 
 
 " You told me then that I must offer an apology if 
 reconciliation was to be possible. . . . Would it be of 
 any use for me to apologise ? Oh, of course I know 
 it was inexcusable, I shall not try to excuse it ; I've 
 seen ever since yesterday morning, that you have 
 changed your opinion of me ; and I'm feeling too 
 guilty to resent it. All the same, I ought to beg 
 your pardon ; and I do." 
 
 Vere struggled with her divided feelings. Half of 
 her was whispering a warning don't ever trust him
 
 FLIRTING WITH DANGER 145 
 
 again! And half was conscious of his charm as he sat 
 there defenceless, doing the thing a proud man most 
 hates, and doing it so beautifully. She summoned 
 her flippancy to her aid and answered airily : 
 
 " 'Nuff said, kind sir! You see, you're not really 
 English and you didn't know the rules of the game. 
 An English girl, if she gets friendly with a man, 
 assumes that he won't ever take advantage of the 
 fact, because he's a gentleman. Try and remember 
 that." 
 
 There was a pause. Gilles knew full well that he 
 was treading on eggs, and must be very careful what 
 he said. At last : " It wasn't that," he replied. 
 "I'm not sure I could explain to you what it was ; 
 but, quite briefly, I let my own feeling carry me away 
 so completely that I forgot to allow for yours or 
 rather for your lack of feeling in the matter." 
 
 " I don't think I understand ? " 
 
 He lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. Vere 
 always dreaded that ; but this time his curious eyes, 
 which had always reminded her hitherto of a wild 
 animal, seemed to have grown suddenly human, and 
 most sorrowful. Something very deep in her sub- 
 consciousness her conquering womanhood told her 
 that if she chose she had the upper hand of Gilles 
 Raumont. The knowledge did not come to the surface 
 of her mind, but it was there. She feared him less. 
 
 His eyes were telling her all kinds of things 
 exciting her almost beyond bearing. 
 
 " You want me to put it into words ? " he asked 
 slowly. " You know it already, but you will have it 
 spoken. You know that I have fallen in love with 
 you . . . desperately . . . and if you had responded, 
 it would not have angered you to find yourself . . . 
 in my arms. That was where I made my mistake. 
 
 K
 
 146 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Oh, please believe it wasn't arrogance I didn't take 
 it for granted that a girl like you must love a man 
 like me ; I only made the mistake that many lovers 
 make of supposing that the fierce fire that burns me 
 must have kindled you also." 
 
 Vere laughed, a little tremulously. " Don't ex- 
 aggerate! You interest me very much, you attract 
 me ; but I haven't made up my mind about you yet, 
 and most certainly there's no fierce fire in the matter ! 
 Well, you've tried to explain to me ... I wonder if 
 I could make you see how I feel. It's rather as if 
 someone had said to me : ' Come along, let us see 
 the world and when you have been all round it, you 
 must choose where you will settle ' ; and as if, quite 
 soon after setting forth, we had come to a place I 
 rather fancied. Would you expect me to stay there 
 to say I would go no farther ? . . . Wouldn't you 
 understand that I wanted to see more first ? I should 
 say : ' This looks interesting, but later I may see 
 something I should prefer. ... I am out to explore 
 ... let me go on, my adventure is only just be- 
 ginning.' ' 
 
 He was devouring her with his look as she spoke 
 talking in her whimsical, not quite English way, with 
 a vivacity which drew him like a magnet. She could 
 not know the strange way in which the folds at the 
 corners of her mouth appealed to him the enigmatic 
 smile the lift of the luminous eyes under their white 
 lids. 
 
 " I understand," he murmured at length. " I 
 understand very well. You wish to flirt ; a girl with 
 your charm ought to flirt must flirt it is the pre- 
 rogative of queenship. And I .... must wait . . . ! 
 I will wait . . . but I hope " with a sudden ferocity 
 which made her jump " that you will appreciate my
 
 FLIRTING WITH DANGER 147 
 
 forbearance, seeing that I could make you come to me 
 now, if I would! " 
 
 " Oh ! " She sprang to her feet. Flippancy fled. 
 " You mean that you would you would " 
 
 " No. I mean that I could, but that I will not. 
 If you love me, and I think you do, you shall come to 
 me willingly. You shall give me kiss for kiss, heart 
 for heart." He, too, rose to his feet and she was 
 conscious of some wild impulse surging in him. " At 
 least I will give you every chance. But beware how 
 you play with me, Vere. I am not a boy and my 
 patience might run out ... I might ' ' 
 
 She confronted him, flaming with rage. " And 
 then you'd try compulsion ? " 
 
 "I'd do anything fair or foul to have you for 
 my own," he flung back. 
 
 She snapped her fingers at him. " That for your 
 compulsion ! How dare you speak to me like this ? " 
 
 He passed his hands over his eyes. " Vere . . . 
 Vere . . . you drive me wild! Again you must 
 forgive me ! I don't mean it, I hardly know what 
 I'm saying. I'm only asking you to have pity not 
 to trifle with me, because I'm in deadly earnest ! " 
 
 " Gilles," she said rapidly, " there are only two 
 possible courses for you and me! Either we must 
 be just good friends, or I must go home ! I tell you 
 I won't stand for this kind of thing. If I can't trust 
 you to behave sensibly well, then, I'm off! It will 
 be hateful to have to go home and tell father I couldn't 
 stay because of being pestered by you ! But it won't 
 be as bad as having to go on in daily fear of your 
 breaking out like this ! And if I do clear out, what 
 will you have gained ? Nothing but the thought that 
 if you had not rushed me, things might have been 
 different ! "
 
 148 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 There was no doubt that this threat startled him. 
 " Vere! No, no, don't speak of going," he implored 
 her. 
 
 " I should, of course, have to tell Aunt Diane why 
 I went." 
 
 His face was livid. " No, you couldn't you 
 mustn't ! Have I driven you to this ? I must be 
 raving mad ! Vere, listen ! I swear to give you not 
 another moment's discomfort! I swear I'll be friends 
 good friends I'll show you I'm to be trusted! 
 Believe me, it's all over. You've given me my answer 
 and I've taken it. Only don't play with me! You 
 know now how I feel ! Have a heart, Vere ! " 
 
 He had hardly spoken before Diane's full contralto 
 came echoing down the garden : " Gilles, are you 
 there ? " 
 
 Raumont started as a well-trained dog starts at 
 the call of his mistress. He flashed a long look at 
 Vere as he sent back an answer to the call, and walked 
 off briskly without another word. Evidently, thought 
 the girl triumphantly, she had the means to tame 
 Gilles if he grew rampageous the fear of the Baronne 
 would always bring him to his senses. 
 
 Diane stood, in the shadow of a big Shantung 
 umbrella lined with rose-colour, and waited immovable 
 until Gilles joined her on the terrace. 
 
 " Did I hear wrangling ? " she asked listlessly. 
 
 " The little girl is becoming somewhat what we in 
 Canada call ' fresh,' " he replied acidly. " She has too 
 much admiration " 
 
 " Admiration ? Whose, pray ? " 
 
 " That padre at the ' Charmant,' and even that old 
 hypochondriac Coverley they're both sweet on her! 
 Then there is young Beresford down in Geneva, and 
 others I have heard her name : not to mention
 
 FLIRTING WITH DANGER 149 
 
 Luitpold, who, like all men of his age, can't resist 
 youth " 
 
 " So ! " The black eyebrows arched themselves 
 over lowered lids. " And what is it to you, Gilles, 
 may I ask, if my niece is admired ? " 
 
 " That's an insensate question, Diane. If the girl's 
 head is full of someone else, can I make her amenable 
 to me ? You know the sex appeal is half the battle 
 in hypnotism. I had her here " he struck his palm 
 with the other fist fiercely " in the hollow of my 
 hand! Now she is off elsewhere! She will slip 
 through my fingers." 
 
 Diane's expression changed as she listened. " I see 
 your point. Yes. We must consider that. It is 
 important then that you bring her under as soon as 
 possible to-day ' ' 
 
 He answered almost roughly. " Not while those 
 Armitages are still about the place. Nothing doing." 
 
 " Gilles, mon ami, listen to me. This is urgent. 
 Loo must know what became of the king. I tell you 
 he must. If the king goes free after our taking that 
 deadly risk, then what ? You know that every de- 
 tective, not only in Switzerland, but one might almost 
 say in Europe, is even now sniffing on the trail, though 
 nothing is being said about it. If we get the king, 
 then it is known what was the object of that raid. 
 The suspicion will focus itself will light where it 
 should light not on us ! " 
 
 " On Radkin, the silly ass," muttered Gilles with a 
 cold smile. " That was a subtle idea of Luitpold 
 telling him to run away it was equivalent to a con- 
 fession! . . Yes, I do see your point, Diane. Vere 
 is hand-in-glove with the Billies, she knows where the 
 king was perhaps, also, where he is now." 
 
 He brooded a moment, then took up some field-
 
 150 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 glasses which lay on a table near and stared at the 
 distant scene of the explosion. " I suppose our man 
 trailed the Armitages this morning ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, but of course Billie would allow for that. 
 He did not go near the king, trust him ! The point is 
 that we don't know what he and his wife did when 
 they turned back from the mountain expedition, 
 because foolishly enough we didn't expect them to do 
 it ; but tell me, Gilles why did they return here yester- 
 day, after going down to Geneva ? " 
 
 " You mean they came back to spy ? No, I think 
 not. More likely they came to get hold of Vere and 
 make sure she was holding her tongue. Gosh! " 
 he used the disgusting American oath " if only I 
 could have seen her face when first she heard the bomb 
 had fallen! I wouldn't mind betting she gave away 
 something to anyone on the look-out ! " 
 
 " And why do you think they turned back on the 
 mountain ? Was Lady Billie really tired ? " 
 
 He raised his head quickly. " You think " 
 
 " I think they were coming back then to spy to 
 spy on us and that it really was by accident that they 
 saw the fire and decided they must go and investigate. 
 I remarked yesterday to Lord Billie that they had 
 been fortunate in arousing their chauffeur so easily at 
 that hour. He replied that luckily the man slept in a 
 room with a window on the street. That shows that 
 they had been careful to know exactly where he was 
 in case they should want the car at some untimely 
 hour or in great haste. Would it have been better to 
 allow them to garage here ? . . . Were we too clever ?" 
 
 " Couldn't have been done, my dear their chauffeur 
 all over the place having meals in our kitchen, and 
 so on. . . . Anyway, that's past and it's no use to 
 discuss it. The important thing is to see if I can
 
 PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT 
 
 charm our little medium into letting herself be con- 
 trolled before the Armitages come back." 
 
 " Why should you anticipate difficulty ? You 
 hardly took a minute to do it the other night." 
 
 " Quite so ; before she went down to Geneva and 
 got her head turned. However, I believe it can be 
 done if you give me a free hand. I'll make the at- 
 tempt this afternoon, out here on the terrace, you and 
 Luitpold both present. She's still a bit drowsy after 
 her dissipations. . . . If I can get her half asleep . . ." 
 
 " Gilles, you must you simply must! It's vital 
 for us to know what they did with him and where he 
 is why, for aught we know he's still in Geneva." 
 
 CHAPTER XIX PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT 
 
 VERB had intended to go upstairs to her own room 
 after dejeuner, to sleep off the remains of her fatigue ; 
 but it so happened that the rest of the party all went 
 out on the terrace for coffee, and the talk was so 
 interesting that she lingered there with them. 
 
 The outbreak of Gilles that morning had both 
 frightened and reassured her. It had revealed to her 
 the fact that she was treading on very thin ice where 
 he was concerned ; but it had also exposed his weak 
 points. He was in love with her, she could not doubt 
 it far more in love than she with him ; and he was 
 in deadly fear lest Aunt Diane might discover that 
 this was so. It seemed to Vere that these facts gave 
 her the whip-hand, in spite of that power of his over 
 her. 
 
 He was in one of his brilliant social moods that 
 afternoon, and engaged Uncle Loo in a talk over
 
 152 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 European politics which the girl found enthralling. 
 At home in Mitchingham the politics of Eastern Europe 
 seemed so utterly unimportant. Here things were 
 different. From Geneva to Italy is but a few hours' 
 journey ; from Italy to Slovakia only a little farther 
 on. These places which had hitherto been names on 
 the map now had a real existence an existence which, 
 if the speakers could be believed, might indirectly 
 affect even England. 
 
 The Baronne listened, smoked her eternal Russian 
 cigarettes, put in a word here and there, keen and 
 forceful. It was borne in upon Vere that they were 
 three very able people. 
 
 " Oh," she sighed, " what a lot I am learning 
 since I came here! I thought I knew everything, 
 but I'm finding out that there are gaps even in my 
 education! " 
 
 " Don't worry," said Uncle Loo endearingly, " who 
 wants a lovely girl to be a highbrow ? " 
 
 " There's something between a highbrow and a silly 
 ass, Uncle Loo. I don't want to be either." 
 
 " We like you very well as you are, my little one," 
 he replied, fondly stroking her hand as it lay on the 
 arm of his chair ; " there's only one of your talents 
 which I should like you to cultivate more than you 
 do, and it appears you do not like making use of that 
 one " 
 
 " Why, what do you mean ? " 
 
 " That power you have, which Gilles here dis- 
 covered by accident the clairvoyance." 
 
 " Clairvoyance ? " she repeated slowly, " you mean 
 that I saw a place in Canada to which I have never 
 been ? " 
 
 " Yes. That interest me very much. It also 
 interest your aunt here. We think it wonderful. I
 
 PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT 153 
 
 might also point out to you, my young one, that you 
 might make much money by its cultivation." 
 
 Vere rested her chin on her elbow in cogitation. 
 " It is really a gift, this power ? A gift that only some 
 people possess ? " 
 
 " Aber gewiss ! It is the gift now and then, of those 
 whose blood is mixed. You are English Italian 
 Austrian." 
 
 " And my father's mother was Highland Scots." 
 
 " So ? And they are famous for such powers ! " 
 
 " It's most awfully interesting, Uncle Loo. But 
 the part I don't like about it, is surrendering myself 
 to someone else's will." She laughed. " I'm not going 
 to take orders from Gilles," she remarked impudently. 
 
 " But, child, there's no nsed," said Aunt Diane 
 calmly. " Gilles tried an experiment with you and 
 accidently it came off ; but with a power such as that, 
 you could do the same thing without him. You only 
 want the crystal ball. I shouldn't mind betting on it ! " 
 
 " I wonder," said Vere, ruminating. She was filled 
 with that delicious sense of personal importance so 
 dear to the vanity of youth. She it seemed was a 
 person of exceptional capacity ! She could do some- 
 thing which was the prerogative of only a few ! She 
 did not altogether believe in her own powers, and was 
 conscious of a keen desire to test them. 
 
 Wasserufer contemplated her like a benevolent 
 vulture. " Will you try for us ? " he asked gently. 
 " There is nozzing like experiment, you know." 
 
 Gilles made no movement, no suggestion. He was 
 smoking and gazing out over the valley ; but Vere, 
 stealing a glance at him, knew subtly that his every 
 nerve was tense. 
 
 There rushed into her mind a sudden thought. 
 Whence it sprang she could not tell. She only knew
 
 154 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 that she was standing upon dangerous ground ; that 
 for some reason all these three people were eager to 
 have her under hypnotic control. 
 
 Was she strong enough to pretend ? If she could 
 but succeed in persuading them that she was in a 
 hypnotic trance when she was not really unconscious, 
 might she not find out something ? If there was 
 nothing in the secret suspicions which on and off 
 tormented her, it would be good to know it. 
 
 She hesitated painfully. Since her conversation 
 with Coverley on the way up the Grande Louve, she 
 had felt sure that something had been said or done 
 without her knowledge on the evening when she had 
 sat with the crystal ball in her lap. She had yielded 
 so easily ! Ned had seen her answer an unspoken call 
 of Raumont's ! Dare she put herself in danger of 
 doing so again of increasing the hold he already had 
 gained upon her ? 
 
 " Komm," said Uncle Loo coaxingly. " Joost this 
 once ! To please the old uncle to whom this is so 
 interesting." 
 
 " Suppose I fail ? " she asked suddenly. " I am 
 not quite in my usual form to-day still feeling the 
 shock of that news about the bomb ! I may not be 
 able to concentrate." 
 
 ' You can try." 
 
 Suddenly she leaned back, extending her arms in a 
 luxurious stretch. It had occurred to her that by 
 owning herself to be not quite fit, she had prepared a 
 way of retreat should she be discovered to be pretend- 
 ing. It was a venture it would take every atom of 
 that strong will which Dad and Phyl so constantly 
 lamented in her ; but she felt inclined to have a shot, 
 as she expressed it to herself. 
 
 " All right, I'll try if you like, but if I don't succeed,
 
 PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT 155 
 
 you'll know it's because I'm a bit under the 
 weather." 
 
 Uncle Loo chuckled, and patted her hand. " Gilles," 
 said he, " you are young. Go indoors and fetch our 
 baby's toy for her." 
 
 Gilles stood up. Vere thought she had never seen 
 him look so handsome. His face wore an expression 
 of slight disdain as he looked down at her. 
 " Going to stand for this tomfoolery ? " he asked 
 contemptuously. 
 
 " Tomfoolery ? Why, you began it ! " she snapped. 
 
 " Rot," he replied simply. " I'm a psychoanalyst, 
 not a charlatan. This crystal business is just well, 
 just folly." 
 
 " All right, folly let it be ; but Uncle Loo wants me 
 to amuse him, and I'm going to. I'll fetch the thing 
 myself." 
 
 She half rose, giving him an excuse to touch her as 
 he gently pushed her back into her seat. " Don't go 
 off the deep end, Vere, I'll bring it to you." 
 
 A moment after, the ball lay in her lap. 
 
 Gilles, as he deposited it, flashed her one lightning 
 glance. Its duration was but momentary, for Diane, 
 under her heavy lids, was watching ; nevertheless it 
 conveyed a message. " You have consented. I 
 offered you a way out you would not take it. On 
 your own head be the result now." 
 
 The effect of this unspoken declaration upon Vere 
 was curious. From trepidation she passed to a calm 
 which was the result of will-concentration. There 
 was really danger then ? They did really mean to 
 bring her under to make her a tool ? It followed 
 that her whole resources of brain, mind, spirit, must 
 be marshalled to resist. The sudden knowledge that 
 for her everything depended upon her firmness and
 
 156 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 coolness did not fluster her, but rather quieted her 
 pulses. This strife was not to be superficial, its 
 battleground was not the arena of nerves, emotions, 
 sensations. It was down in the unfathomable deeps 
 of her human personality those unmeasured deeps .... 
 
 " Out of the deep have I called upon Thee." 
 
 The words floated through her consciousness with- 
 out her knowing whence they arose ; with them came 
 the thought of Hardcastle and of Ned Coverley, as 
 though they had been her allies in this unequal fight. 
 
 She sat motionless, staring at the ball ; and by slow 
 degrees she allowed her eyelids to fall. 
 
 She did not actually feel sleepy, for she had rested 
 well the previous night ; and she trusted that she 
 could keep a hold upon her consciousness and her will. 
 Her heart-beats did not quicken, she felt and knew 
 inwardly that she had herself in hand. As soon as 
 her eyes were closed, a very slight, rustling noise, told 
 her that Gilles had moved was bending over her 
 watchfully. 
 
 The moments that passed seemed unending. She 
 determined neither to move nor speak, but to remain 
 perfectly passive, though inwardly alert. 
 
 At last she heard the unctuous tones of Uncle Loo, 
 lowered to a murmur. 
 
 " I think she is off. Gilles try her eyelids." 
 
 Hoping that the movement would not be visible, she 
 ventured to roll her eyeballs upward. Almost instantly 
 she felt the delicate touch of Gilles, as he gently raised 
 one of her lids with finger and thumb until the white 
 showed. It needed a superhuman effort not to flinch, 
 but she remained quiescent. 
 
 ' Yes, she's off," she heard him whisper. 
 
 " Question her quickly," muttered Diane. " I don't 
 think she's very sound not pale enough."
 
 PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT 157 
 
 Raumont put his hand over one of Vere's. " You 
 can hear me, can you not ? " 
 
 " Yes," she sighed. 
 
 " Vere, it is time for you to remember what I told 
 you to forget. Recall, if you please, the making of 
 that list of the Armitage's visitors." 
 
 For a moment she almost lost control. Her heart 
 seemed to stand still. That list I She nearly cried 
 out in horror. 
 
 In the pause she felt Raumont' s hand slip softly 
 upward, seeking her pulse, and knew she must act 
 instantly if she did not wish to be detected. She 
 sighed out : 
 
 " Yes. I remember." And, in fact, she did. Her 
 own involuntary treachery stood revealed to her, and 
 the shock was extreme. 
 
 " The last name on that list," coaxed the low voice, 
 " you know the king where is he ? " 
 
 ... So they had known the king was there . . . 
 and it was she who had told them. . . . 
 
 A cold fury made her calm. " I don't know," she 
 brought out in a pathetic voice. " I can't see." 
 
 " Did not Jo tell you ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 " Nor Armitage ? " 
 
 " No." 
 
 There was a pause, then Wasserufer suggested 
 gently : " Why not try her with the crystal ? She 
 might see something she is a wonderful subject." 
 
 " That's an idea," muttered Gilles. " Vere," he 
 continued, in his masterful voice, " you are to sit up. 
 Right ! Now open your eyes. You are to look at 
 the ball and tell us what you see." 
 
 She gathered that she was now supposed to be under 
 control, and must obey like an automaton. She let a
 
 158 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 deep sigh escape her and opened her eyes, but without 
 looking at anyone. 
 
 " Fix your eyes on the ball." 
 
 She obeyed, leaning forward a little but otherwise 
 motionless. No one spoke. 
 
 To her own extreme surprise, she almost immedi- 
 ately saw the appearance of movement in the crystal. 
 Milky, cloudy currents seemed to be fleeting across 
 it. With absorbed interest she watched the ebb 
 and flow until it cleared and she was gazing upon a 
 picture. 
 
 " You see something tell us what," suggested 
 Gilles, who was so near to her that she could perceive 
 the thumping of his heart. 
 
 " I see carriages," she answered. " Cars, vans, 
 many omnibuses. They are coming up a wide road 
 it is a great city." As she spoke, she recognised the 
 place she saw, and knew it for Hyde Park Corner. 
 She was watching the traffic from Victoria, coming up 
 Grosvenor Place ; and even as the knowledge dawned 
 upon her, a car passed across, containing four men, 
 of whom one was Pat Beresford, and another was 
 King Raoul. It came up quickly, the white-armed 
 London bobbies clearing its way, and turned through 
 the Park gate, up Constitution Hill. Even as she saw 
 this, she knew she must deceive those who were watch- 
 ing. She must not let them know that it was London 
 that she saw, in case the vision were true ! 
 
 " It is a city," she murmured, " but it is not Geneva. 
 There is too much traffic ... a great archway is 
 it the Arc de Triomphe ? I do not know Paris, I 
 cannot say. A car goes swiftly past. I see a face 
 look out. It is King Raoul, I cannot be mistaken. 
 I saw him once. ..." 
 
 " Paris! " gasped Diane.
 
 PSYCHIC EXPERIMENT 159 
 
 " Sh-h-h," warned Gilles. " Follow the car with 
 your eyes, Vere where is it going ? " 
 
 " Along the streets ... on and on ... into a 
 park," she whispered. " Into the Bois something 
 is written up, but I can't read it ... There are people 
 walking to and fro, the sun is shining. The car goes 
 too fast, it is gone, it is out of sight. Now every- 
 thing is going dark. ..." 
 
 " Damnation," remarked Wasserufer, in a voice she 
 had never heard from him. " Paris ! He will be 
 crossing the channel." 
 
 " Not yet," replied Gilles confidently. " If he were 
 just driving across from one terminus to another, he 
 would not go into the Bois. He must be staying in 
 Paris. Go to the telephone this moment, Diane or 
 Luitpold one of you! Get Paris, whatever it costs. 
 . . . Now, Vere, describe that car." 
 
 " It was dark blue with a thin red line, and the men 
 who drove it had liveries of those colours," replied she, 
 drawing altogether on her imagination for this descrip- 
 tion, but speaking still in the same empty, spell- 
 bound tones. 
 
 " Got that, Loo ? Off with you," muttered Gilles, 
 and Wasserufer obediently went indoors. 
 
 " Is that all you can tell us, Vere ? " went on the 
 mesmerist steadily. 
 
 " It is all gone," she answered vacantly. 
 
 " Good! Now one thing more. You are to write 
 down anything that the Armitages tell you. Write it 
 down, as you did before, and place the paper in that same 
 book where you put it last time. Do you remember ? " 
 
 " I remember." 
 
 "Good! But when you awake you will forget. 
 Say after me, ' When I awake I shall have forgotten 
 everything.' "
 
 l60 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 She repeated slowly. 
 
 " Until four o'clock to-morrow morning, when you 
 must wake up and write it down. Repeat." 
 
 She repeated. 
 
 " After that forget all. It is to be wiped off your 
 mind as one wipes the writing off a slate." 
 
 Once more she repeated, faithfully. 
 
 " Good! And now " 
 
 Diane's voice broke in softly. 
 
 " Not too fast, Gilles. What of Coverley. Won't 
 you order her make her summon him ? " 
 
 " No need," muttered Giles impatiently. " When 
 she's awake make her write him a note, asking him to 
 dinner in your name. He's in love with her he'll 
 come." 
 
 " Of course. Yes. No need to complicate mat- 
 ters," murmured Diane. 
 
 Gilles, who had moved his hand from Vere's some- 
 what sharply when Diane mentioned Coverley, now 
 replaced it deliberately. 
 
 " Vere, are you listening ? " 
 
 She gave a slight shudder, the touch was so caressing, 
 so eager ; but she answered still in the same lifeless 
 voice, " I hear you." 
 
 " Go indoors, up to your room. You are still 
 asleep, but you may open your eyes. . . . Good ! 
 Now rise from your chair. . . . When you get upstairs 
 lie down on your bed and sleep for one half-hour. 
 Then awaken naturally." 
 
 He still held one hand as, laying the other on the 
 arm of her chair, she arose and stood looking straight 
 before her like a sleep-walker. 
 
 Then Gilles let fall the hand he held, reluctantly 
 but very swiftly ; for Diane was watching . . . 
 watching . . .
 
 THE SECRET CAVERN l6l 
 
 Vere moved away, going neither fast nor slow. As 
 she ascended the doorsteps she passed Wasserufer, 
 who had been to the telephone to call Paris and was 
 returning to his place to await the obtaining of the 
 connection. She did not look at him nor deflect 
 from her course. He had to get out of her way. 
 
 " Admirable, Gilles, admirable ! " exulted Uncle Loo 
 as she disappeared. 
 
 Diane said nothing. 
 
 CHAPTER XX THE SECRET CAVERN 
 
 As Billie Armitage on his way back to the chateau 
 drove his car up the hairpin zigzags which lie below 
 the Charmant Hotel, he perceived a man seated by 
 the roadside, who, upon nearer inspection, turned out 
 to be Coverley. 
 
 " Give me a lift, Bill ? " he asked as the car slowed 
 down in reply to his upheld arm. " Good chap 
 thanks. I wonder if I might have the cheek to suggest 
 that her ladyship goes behind and lets me sit next 
 you ? I want to say something rather urgent to you." 
 
 " Fire away," said Bill, as soon as this exchange 
 had been effected. 
 
 " Well now, first of all I want to know have the 
 authorities any idea of how this thing was done 
 the bomb, I mean ? " 
 
 " Yes," said Bill ; " the theory is that it was dropped 
 from a 'plane." 
 
 " I know ; but whence ? Where did the 'plane 
 come from ? " 
 
 " That's hard to say. There was a little 'plane a sort 
 of Moth over Geneva in the night that's all we know. " 
 
 L
 
 l62 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Don't think I'm a maniac, Bill but do you think 
 it beyond the bounds of possibility that the people at 
 d'Almier have a Moth 'plane in their cellars ? " 
 
 " Good Lord, man, what are you suggesting ? 
 Surely that's out of the question ? Granting that 
 they could get one in, which I admit sounds fantastic 
 to me, they couldn't anyhow drive it out how could 
 they get a run ? Even if they had vaults extending 
 ever so far back, the thing simply couldn't be done." 
 
 " N-no, I suppose not. Just occurred to me to 
 wonder whether Raumont might have invented . . . 
 he's a clever devil, you know." 
 
 " Hold hard, Ned, you're making a pretty noxious 
 suggestion, aren't you ? What leads you to believe 
 them desirous of doing such a thing ? What have 
 you against them ? " 
 
 Ned looked disconcerted. He had fancied that Bill 
 had suspicions. " Do you trust old Wasserufer ? " he 
 asked uncomfortably. 
 
 " He's an old humbug, of course," admitted Bill 
 airily ; " meanders round, pretending to be of impor- 
 tance, but does he do any real harm ? Moreover, 
 even if we grant they're up to something, have you 
 any idea why they should burn our flat ? " 
 
 " Oh, I should imagine that was unintentional. I 
 don't think they can have meant to burn your flat ; 
 but is there nothing or no one they might wish to 
 destroy ? Can you think of anyone who was in 
 Geneva that night, whom Wasserufer might have been 
 paid to remove ? " 
 
 "It's not easy," murmured Bill thoughtfully, " to 
 follow the ramifications of these petty intrigues ; but 
 I believe you've got some graver ground for suspicion 
 under your hat, Ned. Look here, are you prepared 
 to tell me everything you know ? "
 
 THE SECRET CAVERN 163 
 
 " There's something I would like to tell you I own 
 that frankly. Something about the castle cellars." 
 
 " Hallo ! What do you know about them ? " 
 
 "I've been all over them," was the brief reply. 
 
 " The deuce you have, old lad ! Quand fa P " 
 
 " Before the Baronne came into residence. Look 
 here you and Lady Billie come and have tea quietly 
 with me in the garden and I'll tell you all about it." 
 
 "It's a deal," said Bill with alacrity, steering the 
 car up the private road which led to the hotel. " Jo," 
 he called over his shoulder, " Ned's standing us tea 
 at the ' Charmant.' ' 
 
 " Good work," said Jo contentedly ; and in a short 
 time they were sitting at a table in the shade of a 
 big ash tree, out of earshot of all the world, and with 
 a delicious tea set before them. 
 
 " Wade in, old boy," said Billie almost at once. 
 " Let Jo handle the teapot ; and get on with it, we 
 mustn't stay long. Jo, he's going to tell us something 
 about the chateau. He seems to have the idea that 
 there is more in the conduct of our hospitable host 
 and hostess than meets the eye." 
 
 " Oh, Ned, don't destroy my young ideals ! Such 
 charming people ! " 
 
 " It isn't the people I'm going to talk about. It's 
 the place." 
 
 " Simply thrilling ! What do you know about the 
 place ? " 
 
 " Well, it was when the chateau was standing 
 empty. The Manoels, the people who kept the hotel, 
 had cleared out, and the Baronne had not yet arrived. 
 The Manoels were an odd lot, they had let the place 
 down badly, and they couldn't make it pay, which 
 was not surprising, it was so ill-kept and dirty. This 
 happened before my nerves began to go back on me,
 
 164 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 when I was still living in Geneva ; and Charles and I 
 used sometimes to take the railway up here and have 
 tea on the terrace. We came up one fine October 
 day, not knowing what had happened ; and found 
 the place shut up and deserted. Charles and I thought 
 it would be a fine chance to explore the interior ; so 
 we got in by a window, without much difficulty." 
 
 " Oh, go on, Ned, this is thrilling! " 
 
 " It's a disappointing place inside very little of 
 interest to be seen ; and it was still half full of ugly, 
 stuffy furniture, which I suppose the Manoels had 
 used during their tenancy. We poked about, but the 
 only thing we really admired were the two rooms in 
 the tower, which I believe Raumont now occupies. 
 The lower of those two rooms has four window embra- 
 sures, one on each side, before one of which the one 
 looking towards the stable-yard stood an old rotting 
 cupboard, quite empty. We were curious to know 
 whether the fourth window was really there behind, 
 so we moved away the cupboard, and discovered not 
 a window but a door. The room occupies the whole 
 area of the tower, so this could only lead to a stair. 
 It was padlocked, but with quite a cheap lock, and a 
 key from the bunch I carried unlocked it. There was 
 certainly a stair ; not ascending as one might have 
 supposed to the room above, but descending. 
 
 " We followed it down and down. The loopholes 
 that lit it seemed to have been lately cleared of rubbish, 
 and the stairs swept, though there lingered a powerful 
 odour of jackdaw, or owl, or some birds which had 
 obviously nested there for years. When we reached 
 the ground level we came to the last of the loopholes. 
 Below that we were in pitch darkness, evidently below 
 the surface of the rock. On the mantel of the room 
 we had found a half-burnt candle, which we took with
 
 THE SECRET CAVERN 165 
 
 us to light our way. The steps were perfectly sound, 
 not broken at all, nor even damp ; but they went so 
 far that we calculated we must be thirty or forty feet 
 underground when at last they terminated in a small 
 cellar or vault. This had a door with huge massive 
 iron bars, fixed into staples ; but as the fastening was 
 on our side, it was easily opened, and we went through 
 into a huge natural cavern." 
 
 The narrator paused for breath, and Bill gasped 
 " Get on, man, for pity's sake." 
 
 " It's a wonderful place," said Ned reminiscently. 
 " Quite big enough for a hangar, but opening on the 
 face of the sheer precipice. The cave mouth had once 
 been vast, but it had been almost filled with masonry 
 at a very early date probably when the castle was 
 built. The jutting of the cliff conceals it as you look 
 up from Veyrier. It is just round the corner of the 
 bluff on which the castle stands, so that it cannot be 
 seen anywhere except from a great distance. Rather 
 wonderful, the way it's hidden. . . . 
 
 " The masonry left open a space like a giant window 
 about twelve feet wide, and twenty feet high ; 
 across this was the remains of an iron grille ; and we also 
 found leg-irons and rusting iron collars fastened by 
 chains along the wall. Evidently it was once a dungeon. 
 
 " When we were down there, the whole of the grille 
 was overgrown with vegetation which let in a glimmering 
 kind of light, but so masked it that, even with a strong 
 glass, nobody could have detected that there was a hole 
 there. I should say the precipice is quite inaccessible." 
 
 " Some surprise packet," was Bill's grave comment. 
 " But look here, old son. If the only way down 
 into this place is by a corkscrew stair from the tower 
 room, it's humanly speaking impossible that they 
 have taken heavy machinery down there eh ? "
 
 166 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " I haven't finished yet, Bill. We poked about 
 there a good while, for we thought it an interesting 
 place ; and presently we found some heavy trestles 
 and about half a dozen huge casks, iron-bound. They 
 were very, very old and a good deal decayed, though 
 the place is marvellously dry and, until the vegetation 
 blocked the grille, must have been quite airy. Now 
 we knew that these casks could not anyhow have 
 been brought in by the way we had come, so we 
 searched about, but our candle was not nearly strong 
 enough to illuminate the roof, and moreover it was 
 almost burnt out, so we most unwillingly beat a 
 retreat and climbed up that interminable stair once 
 more to the tower room we had left, making sure as 
 we went that no other door gave upon the newel, all 
 the way up. 
 
 " We ate our lunch on the terrace parapet, thinking 
 about what those chains and iron collars might tell 
 us if they could talk ; and then we strolled round 
 indoors looking for a cellar door somewhere in the 
 kitchen regions. We felt sure that there must be, in 
 a mediaeval castle, some less inaccessible place for 
 storing wine than that dungeon ; but there was no 
 door anywhere that we could find. So then we went 
 out, and immediately spotted that door which you 
 know of in the stable-yard, the padlock of which we 
 also succeeded in unlocking ; and then we went down 
 about six steps into a magnificent place, like a crypt. 
 It has a central pillar supporting it, and it was full of 
 empty casks and old bottle-racks, all arranged quite 
 neatly on one side. We were, of course, searching 
 for a way down below ; but there's no door at all, 
 except the one by which you enter. So we decided 
 there must be a trap under that pile of little casks. 
 We started to move some of them and then found
 
 THE SECRET CAVERN 167 
 
 that, just underneath, the floor ceased to be rock and 
 became boards heavy oak boards. We had not time 
 to clear it all, but we moved enough things to lead us 
 to suppose that there was a natural opening at least 
 twenty feet square, down into the cavern." 
 
 "By George! Hadn't time to lift a board, I 
 suppose ? " 
 
 " No, we hadn't. I ought to have said beams, not 
 boards. I doubt if Charles and I could have shifted 
 one. There may have been a small trap probably 
 is under there somewhere, but we had had enough 
 for one day, so we replaced things carefully and came 
 away, meaning to go again, start in the upper cellar 
 and explore farther. However, the next time we came 
 we couldn't get in at all. There was a caretaker 
 installed a man and his wife, called Stein they are 
 still there. He was not very civil, though he offered 
 to show us round if we liked ; but his manner was so 
 hostile that we did not like to say we had been on the 
 prowl the preceding week, and had made a burglarious 
 entry. I suppose it was natural they should be care- 
 ful, as there was a good deal of furniture still in the 
 place, though not much that was portable. He men- 
 tioned that they had found signs of someone having 
 been in, and we thought it best to say nothing at all. 
 For the same reason we said nothing to anyone else. 
 Our discovery has remained locked in our breasts 
 ever since." 
 
 " Safer for you, I should say," observed Bill dryly. 
 " If they thought you knew " 
 
 " Who ? The Baronne and Co. ? Oh, I dare say 
 they do know in fact, Miss Merton said they did," 
 replied Ned uncomfortably. " I told her some time 
 ago I thought it would be fun for her to see the dungeon. 
 But either her aunt doesn't know of the lower vault,
 
 l68 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 or there was a reason why they wouldn't show it. 
 They showed her the wine-cellar " 
 
 " And they know it was you who put her on to ask 
 questions ? " 
 
 " I expect they do." 
 
 " H'm ! They must be very anxious to know how 
 often you have passed on the secret ! " 
 
 " Well, you are the second person. I had no idea 
 there was a secret, how should I ? Why should they 
 not like anyone to know a thing like that ? " 
 
 " Well, I should go carefully, Ned, if I were you. 
 If there really is something they don't want known, 
 they can't love you much. However, unless the old 
 vulture is a born fool, he won't murder you, for two 
 reasons, the first being that it would most probably 
 be found out, the next and most important that, for 
 aught he knows, you may have told half a dozen other 
 people." 
 
 " Charles knows, of course." 
 
 " M'yes ; and I know ; but I intend to know more 
 thoroughly in a few days' time ; though, if you are 
 right in supposing that I must either go through a 
 door in the tower, just under Raumont's sleeping- 
 room, or else lift a series of weaver's beams in the 
 wine-cellar, my task would not be a light one." 
 
 " Don't be a fool, Bill. Get a warrant and let the 
 police do it." 
 
 " Out of the question. Evidence far too slight ; 
 and even if it were strong the thing's not easy, seeing 
 that Geneva's in Switzerland, and no doubt the French 
 police would buzz like hornets if I cast aspersions on 
 the peerage. Moreover, suppose we went down there 
 and found nothing, we should look a bit silly." 
 
 " Not near so silly as you will if Wasserufer finds you 
 waltzing^about in his wine-cellar. With that man Stein
 
 VERB'S AWAKENING 169 
 
 on the watch, you won't get a look-in. Drop it, Bill. 
 Unless you can catch the old boy red-handed " 
 
 " Nobody but me suspects him at all," murmured 
 Bill dreamily. " In Geneva they look on him as a 
 harmless old crank always busy about something com- 
 pletely unimportant in short, they consider him just 
 the usual thing. It is in the Balkans that he is known 
 for the tortuous old devil he is. Kilistria will never 
 be at peace until he is out of the way." 
 
 Ned was meditative. " Of course," he said, " it 
 seems a very wild conjecture that he should be at all 
 connected with the bomb-dropping the other night. 
 Surely he could not intend to spite you just because 
 you are in the service of Kilistria ; besides, that's 
 ruled out, because you and Lady Bill were both up 
 here that very night. For whom was that bomb intended ? 
 that's what I want to find out. Not for your flat, 
 and surely not for Radkin he's a Soviet man, and 
 probably a pal of Wasserufer." 
 
 Bill gave a swift glance at his wife and leaned 
 forward. " I think you'll have to be told, Ned," he 
 said quietly. 
 
 CHAPTER xxi VERB'S AWAKENING 
 
 VERE lay on her bed in a state of mind that may per- 
 haps be likened to that wonderful simile of Macaulay's 
 when he speaks of boys, 
 
 " who, unaware 
 
 Ranging the woods to find a hare, 
 Come to the mouth of some dark lair 
 Where, growling low, a fierce old bear 
 Lies among bones and blood."
 
 170 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 She had entered into her bit of dissimulation light- 
 heartedly, with a half-formed intention of presently 
 bursting into laughter, owning up, and exposing Gilles 
 to ridicule ; and in a moment she had been swept 
 away, into the heart of a horrible secret. Her worst 
 suspicions of her relatives were surpassed, and she felt 
 that her very life might depend upon their never 
 finding out that she had been shamming. 
 
 It was difficult to foresee what that might involve. 
 First of all, she must seem to carry out the instructions 
 given her. She must collect some kind of information 
 from Billie and Jo and write it down. She must 
 invite Ned Coverley to come to dinner ; and at the 
 same time she must contrive to warn them, all three ; 
 but especially Coverley. 
 
 She broke out into a cold sweat of fear fear mingled 
 with remorse and shame. She had betrayed her 
 friends : unintentionally, it is true, but none the less 
 really. Although she could not see how, there was 
 no doubt in her mind that the attempted assassination 
 of King Raoul had been made upon her information. 
 Kind Uncle Loo was a villain and Aunt Diane had 
 inveigled her great-niece to France for purposes of 
 her own. Whatever her feelings towards her young 
 kinswoman might have been at the start, Vere had no 
 illusions about them now. Gilles had shown himself 
 attracted by the new-comer, and Diane would never 
 pardon that, for she herself was at the " dangerous 
 age." The mature woman, loving a younger man, 
 and eclipsed in his affections by a mere girl, is a most 
 dangerous enemy. 
 
 Vere knew that however much she might protest, 
 however often she might asseverate that she did not 
 care for Gilles, she would not be believed. 
 
 Yet, in all the dark outlook, she clung to the fact
 
 VERB'S AWAKENING 171 
 
 of his love for her as the sole ground for hope. She 
 felt pretty certain that, though he might use her for 
 his own purposes, he would not allow her to be hurt 
 if he could prevent it ; and as he was fully conscious 
 of Diane's jealousy, he was likely to be vigilant. 
 
 " Besides," she reflected, "I have friends here. If 
 they want me to pump the Armitages, they must 
 leave me alone with them ; and through them I can 
 warn Dr. Coverley." 
 
 The fact that Billie and Jo were returning to the 
 chateau that evening, was really the thing that kept 
 her from panicking. At first she was minded to 
 spring from the bed, snatch a few things and run 
 from the house. Yet she had just sense to remember 
 that, if she could lie still until the stipulated half- 
 hour had expired, and then pretend to remember 
 nothing, all might be well. It was, in truth, her only 
 chance ; for she was doubtless closely watched, and 
 she felt well assured that such people as she had 
 discovered the Wasserufers to be would not hesitate 
 to ensure their own safety by any form of coercion, 
 even that of silencing her permanently. She would 
 not be allowed to escape. 
 
 She lay, therefore, as still as she could, and gradually 
 that trembling of the limbs which had seized her on 
 first lying down, passed away. She heard the great 
 clock in the hall sound a quarter, and knew that its 
 next chiming would be the signal for her to awaken. 
 
 About five minutes later her ear caught a slight 
 sound the very gentle, almost noiseless, turning of 
 the handle of the door between her own room and 
 the bath-room. 
 
 The Baronne, without a doubt ; and so strung up 
 were Vere's raw nerves that she would not have been 
 surprised by the prick of sudden steel between her ribs.
 
 172 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Well she knew that all now depended upon her 
 simulation of deep sleep. Fortunately she was fully 
 clothed, and had pulled the eider-down partly over 
 her, so that the beating of her heart could not easily 
 be perceived ; and her breathing she thought she 
 could control. On the very first hearing of the 
 sound she drew her right arm across her chest, and 
 turned her face from the light, as swiftly and noise- 
 lessly as possible. 
 
 The door made no creaking, for it had been well- 
 oiled of late ; but it brushed the carpet ever so slightly ; 
 and, moreover, with its opening, a draught of air was 
 perceptible. Followed the barely perceptible tread of 
 feet stealing across the floor ; and then the slight 
 interception of light caused by the intervening of some 
 opaque body between the window and the averted 
 face. 
 
 Afterwards it seemed to Vere as though the visitor 
 stood by her bedside for hours. It needed a supreme 
 effort of will to refrain from motion, and each second 
 increased the strain. Finally, just as she was feeling 
 that she must leap up and shriek aloud, she heard a 
 slight sigh, as of regret or disappointment, and the 
 cat-like footsteps crept away, not quite so cautiously 
 as they had come. 
 
 The door was heard to close ; but some obscure 
 instinct warned Vere that the listener might have 
 remained on the near side of it ; and, sure enough, 
 after an interval of seemingly endless duration, she 
 felt quite sure that the Baronne had returned, and 
 was stealthily creeping round to the side of the bed 
 towards which its occupant faced. 
 
 The half-hour was almost up, and it was evident 
 that Diane meant to be on hand when the girl 
 awoke.
 
 VERB'S AWAKENING 173 
 
 How many more minutes remained ? For how long 
 must this tension continue ? The desire to sneeze, 
 to choke, to throw her arms about, to scratch the tip 
 of her nose, grew desperate. Then she heard an angry 
 hiss, repeated still more peremptorily. It was followed 
 by a low murmur from the Baronne, of expostulation 
 or annoyance. Once again came the hiss from the 
 bath-room door clearly ; and then the cat-like tread 
 once more crossed the room. Either Uncle Loo or 
 Raumont must have issued orders. Angry mutterings 
 came from the doorway someone remonstrating, 
 Diane saying : "Hush! Hush!" 
 
 Then came the voice of Gilles, low, but quite 
 distinct : "I tell you she can neither hear nor be 
 disturbed for another two minutes. Then she will 
 awaken, and if you are there, she will be startled. It 
 is most important that she should remember nothing. 
 To open her eyes and see you staring at her, might 
 make her think we had been exploiting her. You can 
 watch through here, quite well." 
 
 The door closed, and Vere ventured to breathe out 
 a vast sigh of relief. Yet she knew she was still under 
 observation. How ? She dare not look and see. It 
 had not struck her that she could be spied upon 
 through the bath-room door, she had looked upon her 
 connection with her aunt's room as a safeguard. 
 Now it seemed that more danger lurked that way 
 than in the passage where Gilles could pounce. 
 
 The sound of the clock chiming five broke upon 
 her ear just as she was wondering what exactly she 
 should do. 
 
 Slowly she sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawning. 
 Then she stretched out her arms, reached to the 
 bedside table, and took up a small silver clock which 
 stood there. Letting surprise dawn upon her face
 
 174 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 she sprang up, shook herself, and ran to her dressing- 
 table, where she examined her hair and powdered her 
 nose. Then, going to the window, she leaned out, 
 calling gaily : 
 
 " Hallo, Uncle Loo ! Where are Gilles and Aunt 
 Diane ? Have you had tea ? Why didn't somebody 
 wake me ? I've been sound asleep all the after- 
 noon ! " 
 
 " Luxurious dormouse," he bantered. " I won- 
 dered what had become of you ! But we have not 
 had tea, for Diane is not here yet. Come down, you'll 
 still be in time." 
 
 " All right ! I'll just wash my paws in the bath- 
 room and be down in two twos ! " 
 
 So saying she turned from the window and made 
 a dash for the bath-room door, so rapidly that only 
 Gilles had time to disappear, and Diane was dis- 
 covered, just turning the tap of the fitted basin. 
 
 " Oh, how you startled me ! " laughed Vere. " I 
 can't think how I went off to sleep so soundly ! But 
 Uncle Loo says you haven't had tea yet ! Where's 
 Gilles ! " 
 
 " I haven't seen him all the afternoon," said the 
 Baronne calmly. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII GILLES SUSPECTS 
 
 VERE was admiring her own powers as an actress as 
 she sauntered down the steps and out upon the 
 terrace. 
 
 " Let me make tea, Aunt Diane, it's good practice 
 for me ! I'm never allowed to do it at home, since 
 dad's new wife began her reign ! "
 
 GILLES SUSPECTS 175 
 
 " Aha, that was a putting of the nose out of zhoint 
 for our little Vere, was it not ? How fortunate that 
 Aunt Diane happened to want you here joost at the 
 time, eh ? " chuckled Uncle Loo. 
 
 " Most fortunate," said Vere composedly ; " also my 
 unknown uncle, who-so-good-to-the-little-stranger- 
 from-across-the-channel-is ! " 
 
 " Ha, ha ! You make the game of my English, 
 saucy one ! " 
 
 " Your English is a long sight better than my 
 French, Uncle Loo, I always remember that ! And 
 it smarts ! " 
 
 " What has become of the Armitages, I wonder ? " 
 put in Diane languidly. " I understood they would 
 be back to tea." 
 
 "Oh, something kept them any old thing," said 
 Gilles impatiently. " Give me another cup of tea, 
 Vere, and then I challenge you to single combat on 
 the tennis court." 
 
 " Have you finished your papei for the Medical 
 Congress ? " asked Diane dryly. 
 
 " I'm not working on it any more to-day, if that's 
 what you mean," was the equally dry rejoinder. 
 " Here you've gone to considerable expense over that 
 tennis court, and we might as well not have it for 
 all the play we get." 
 
 " Hear, hear," laughed Vere, who could not resist 
 baiting Diane a little, now that she knew her real 
 attitude. 
 
 " Very well, then Loo and I will come and look 
 on," replied Diane, outwardly unruffled. " I want to 
 see if you are improving, Gilles." 
 
 " He is. It'll soon be all I can do to beat him 
 and at Hayneslop they considered me pretty hot 
 stuff."
 
 176 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Hot stuff ! Ho, ho, your expressive English 
 slang," laughed Uncle Loo. 
 
 " Rubbish, Vere, you'd beat me hollow if you really 
 began throwing your weight about. It's only that 
 you have pity on the smoking flax." 
 
 " Give me a light, smoking flax," was the gay 
 retort, as Vere leaned towards him, cigarette in mouth. 
 It was rash of her and she knew it ; but her apparent 
 success in hoodwinking them all had gone to her 
 head. 
 
 When Gilles leaned forward to approach his head 
 to hers, his back was turned to Diane ; and as has 
 before been indicated, his eyes were expressive. Vere 
 was not sure what they expressed, but something 
 warned her that he was triumphing over her. 
 
 " Oh ! " cried she, as if struck by a sudden thought, 
 whisking round to Uncle Loo, " what am I thinking 
 about ? Wasn't I to try crystal-gazing this after- 
 noon ? What happened ? Don't tell me that I 
 hypnotised myself ! " 
 
 Wasserufer laughed unctuously, hunching his big 
 shoulders. " Well, to own the truth, the experiment 
 was not quite a success," he owned, as if unwillingly. 
 " You were tired, as you said had not had time to 
 sleep off the effects of your week at Geneva and your 
 night on the mountain. So we sent you upstairs to 
 rest a bit. However, I thought it hopeful you saw 
 somet'ing in the crystal, no doubt . . . anozzer time, 
 when you are all awake and alert, as now " 
 
 " Well," she cried, with simulated eagerness, " why 
 not now ? " 
 
 " For the reason that we expect our friends back 
 at any moment, and also that I know this poor Gilles 
 is spoiling, as you say, for a game. We need freshness 
 and concentration for our next leetle experiment."
 
 GILLES SUSPECTS 177 
 
 " Perhaps you're right," she replied, as if con- 
 vinced against her inclination. " Let's go and find 
 the balls, shall we, Gilles ? " 
 
 They raced each other into the house, whither 
 Diane could not follow them without causing surprise 
 to her husband. Wasserufer heaved a big sigh as 
 they disappeared. " What it is to be young, my 
 friend ! What do you think ? Had not Gilles better 
 be advised to make that charming girl his mistress ? 
 Then he would have the vip-hand not so-? " 
 
 The cold-blooded suggestion by no means horrified 
 Diane, who gave a snort of disgust. " She's English, 
 my dear as I once heard her say, as English as 
 Brixton. She doesn't go in for the vie passionelle 
 thinks it's wrong." 
 
 " To convert her," he smiled, " would be a labour 
 of love ; and I well believe Gilles capable of it." 
 
 " He won't do it in my house, if I can prevent it," 
 snapped Diane. " What do you suppose her father 
 would say ? " 
 
 " I imagine he would say nozzing, because he would 
 know nozzing. Fathers in England nowadays, they 
 know nozzing at all. I can hardly believe that she 
 has not had her little affaires before this, she is so 
 how shall I say so provocative ; and her father, in 
 his letter to you, as good as accused her of being fast, 
 did he not ? " 
 
 Diane admitted it. She strove for control over an 
 outburst of entirely unreasonable temper. That Gilles 
 should seduce Vere would matter but little in her 
 eyes the trouble was that she felt sure he was in love 
 with the child ; and a man in love cannot play the 
 Don Juan lightly with the beloved object. 
 
 She realised that Vere was, as her husband said, 
 provocative. She was, in fact, dangerous. If Gilles 
 
 M
 
 178 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 married her, as Diane believed him capable of doing, 
 her influence would be paramount, and Diane would 
 be left cold. To a woman of fifty, still attractive, such 
 an idea is intolerable. 
 
 She thought of Coverley as the one way out. If 
 she could bring about that match, Raumont would be 
 safe, and the young husband's mouth would be shut 
 just as effectually as by the risky course of murder. 
 
 " I hope," said she rapidly, " that I can make her 
 useful in a better way than that. Young Coverley, 
 the one man who knows, or suspects, anything about 
 our cellars, is head over ears in love with her. Were 
 he to marry her, he could hardly give away his wife's 
 people. We have been good to Vere she is attached 
 to us she could quite easily keep him quiet. That 
 is why I want to throw them together. The sooner 
 the better ; and it is also why I want to prevent any 
 folly with Gilles meanwhile. You see ? It would be 
 for you and me a far safer plan for silencing Coverley. 
 He's well off, in a quiet way. Let him go back to 
 England and marry her " 
 
 " H'm! H'm! Somesing in that idea, certainly. 
 But I do not want to part with the child. She is a 
 marvellous subject and might be always useful. No, 
 it seem to me that Gilles is the man for her. Let 
 him marry her, if necessary. Why not ? " 
 
 " Then are you prepared to murder Coverley ? " 
 
 " Accidents do happen, my dear, sometimes ; especi- 
 ally in mountainous country ; and both Branting and 
 Stein are brainy fellows when it comes to a convincing 
 murder. Let the young man come to dinner on a dark 
 night and I could undertake something happened to 
 him between this and the ' Charmant.' ' 
 
 " And then what follows ? A juge d' instruction is 
 sent up, the whole village is questioned "
 
 GILLES SUSPECTS 179 
 
 " But not the only man who knows anything detri- 
 mental to ourselves ; because he unfortunately is 
 dead." 
 
 " Ah, Luitpold, how do you know that he is the 
 only one in the know ? I am very certain that if he 
 does know anything definite, the padre knows too." 
 
 " There, my dear, with your customary acumen, 
 you touch on the weak spot in my argument. How 
 much did Coverley tell our Vere, for example ? " 
 
 " You see ! My plan is the better. Let her marry 
 him and all is well. If a juge d' instruction got hold 
 of her, she would blurt out something about secret 
 vaults you may be certain she would " 
 
 " You are right, my Diane, that also is a point to 
 be considered. We do most certainly not want this 
 village to be in the limelight ; and there, I think, I 
 hear the car of our returning friends, is it not ? Let 
 us go and greet them." 
 
 He rose, and after a momentary hesitation and a 
 glance at the house door, his wife followed him. In 
 the vehemence of argument she had forgotten that 
 Verz and Gilles had gone in and had not come out 
 again. They must be doing more than seek for 
 tennis balls, which hung in a net in the hall. 
 
 They were. Hardly had they passed out of sight 
 when Gilles, calculating upon Diane's not daring to 
 follow so obviously, drew Vere back into the passage 
 that led to the salle a manger, saying in a hurried 
 whisper : 
 
 " She'll drive me mad ! She has made up her mind 
 that we are not to speak to one another, you and I ! 
 But I must warn you, you little demon! Do you 
 suppose I don't know that you were shamming this 
 afternoon ? " 
 
 There was an instant's horrible silence. It was an
 
 l8o THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 unexpected blow, and for a breathing-space it knocked 
 the wind out of Vere's sails. Then her very terror 
 inspired her. She rallied and said " Gilles ! " in just 
 the right tone of outraged innocence. 
 
 He laughed under his breath. " You really supposed 
 that you could take me in ? Me, a doctor and, though 
 I say it, a man at the top of his profession ? Why, 
 I saw you roll up your eyeballs as plain as anything ; 
 and your pulse gave you away . . . though it was a 
 clever fake! I grant you that, it was good acting 
 . . . and they . . ." 
 
 " Please, Gilles, you really must be crazy." The 
 voice was small, meek, hesitant. " I don't think 
 you're at all kind. You put me to sleep this after- 
 noon I don't know what else you did to me, but 
 something that caused me, when I had dropped asleep 
 on the terrace, to go upstairs to my own room. I 
 am very miserable, wondering what happened while I 
 was at your mercy ; and now you accuse me of fraud." 
 
 There was a pause. It was so dark in the passage 
 that only the gilding of the edges of her blonde hair, 
 and the dark pools of her pathetic eyes were visible 
 to the man who held her by the elbows. He was 
 taken aback. All the bounce had gone out of her, 
 she was making an appeal to his sympathies which 
 was hard to resist. He had expected one of her 
 outbursts : " That will be all from you at present, 
 Gilles," or something like that. This was a new aspect 
 of her, and it moved him to the very depths. 
 
 " Vere, I was trying to bluff you, I daren't say 
 I'm certain, but I suspect most strongly that you 
 were not hypnotised this afternoon . . . but you 
 don't think so badly of me as to suppose that I would 
 tell, do you ? " 
 
 " There is nothing for you to tell," she replied in
 
 GILLES SUSPECTS l8l 
 
 the same tones, " but if there were supposing for 
 the sake of argument that there were why I must 
 own I don't trust you one bit. Why should I ? " 
 
 " Good heavens, why should you not ? " he exploded. 
 
 "I'm sorry to seem unkind ; but I never have felt 
 that I could trust you, from the first moment I saw 
 you. You are clever, and you would like to use me 
 professionally. You found out in a moment that my 
 nervous system responded to experiment ; but you 
 didn't reckon with my will did you ? " 
 
 " So this is what you think of me what you still 
 are stupid enough to think, in spite of everything ? 
 You suppose that I want you as a laboratory assistant ! 
 You have not the sense I should say, you have not 
 the understanding to perceive that I love you with 
 every fibre of me, against my own wish, against my 
 own interest, in spite of your attitude of denial ? 
 You little English half- frozen nymph you don't know 
 what it's like to feel as I do ! But I'm going to teach 
 you, if I go to hell for it ! " 
 
 She moved a little, gently shook her elbows free, 
 looked up at him with a sudden smile in those dark 
 blurs of shadow that were her eyes. 
 
 " Well," said she, " but you'll have to choose some 
 other time for it, won't you ? Can't you hear Billie's 
 car coming up the hairpin on top gear ? " 
 
 " Good God! " he burst out. " I believe you are 
 false all through! You can laugh laugh now! 
 laugh at my suffering ! You are as cold as a Lorelei ! 
 
 " I shouldn't wonder if you're right," said she, 
 slipping past him out into the hall, " and so that's 
 that isn't it ? "
 
 CHAPTER xxiu DIANE'S PLAN 
 
 THE Armitages had brought Dr. Coverley up the hill 
 in their car. He had come to issue an invitation. 
 The promised ball was to take place next night at 
 the " Charmant," and he wanted Miss Merton to be 
 there as the guest of the Padre and himself. 
 
 The Baronne, taken aback by this invitation, 
 declared, on the spur of the moment, that she feared 
 it could not be managed. She had guests at the 
 chateau the following night Herr and Frau Willitz, 
 from Geneva. Vere had come out from England to 
 act as her aunt's helper and companion. She would 
 be wanted. 
 
 " Why, auntie, of course I'll stay for dinner," said 
 Vere at once, " but Herr and Frau Willitz play bridge 
 far too well to care to have me. Could not Gilles and 
 I go off after dinner to the dance and leave you four 
 to your rubber ? " 
 
 " Goot," said Uncle Loo at once. " Excellent, my 
 little one. Diane, that arranges itself, not true ? " 
 
 Diane turned slowly and scrutinised her husband's 
 fleshy and amiable countenance. She was trembling 
 with rage, for she would infinitely prefer that Vere 
 should spend the whole evening with Coverley rather 
 than that Gilles should drive down with her alone 
 and bring her home late at night ; but, searching 
 Wasserufer's eyes, she knew that he was implacable. 
 At once she shifted her ground, wishing she had not 
 made any difficulty in the first place. 
 
 " Oh," said she, " but I, too, should be sorry to 
 miss the last dance of the season. I tell you what 
 I will do ring up Frau Willitz and alter the date! 
 
 182
 
 DIANE'S PLAN 183 
 
 They have few engagements ; they will come when 
 I want them. So we will all go, Gilles and I and Vere, 
 to-morrow night. Is not that a better plan ? " 
 
 " Quite goot, if you include also the old uncle," 
 said Wasserufer smoothly. " My leetle Vere does not 
 know that I am a dancer, but I am ! Light as a 
 feather, believe me ! And I shall insist upon one 
 dance at least one from our nieceling ! " 
 
 " ' Nieceling ' ! What a lovely word," laughed Jo. 
 " I shall call you ' nieceling/ Vere and I hope Uncle 
 Loo will condescend to give me a waltz too. I know 
 what German waltzing can be." 
 
 " Oh, don't call him German, he's Austrian, like 
 me," said Diane. " Now, Dr. Coverley, as you are 
 here, won't you stay and dine ? " 
 
 Ned's eyes turned eagerly to Vere. She was stand- 
 ing (not unintentionally) a little behind the Wasse- 
 rufers and Gilles ; and she gave him a signal, slight, 
 but decisive : a shake of the head in negation. 
 
 It hurt him, but he obeyed loyally. " You're more 
 than kind, Baronne, but I have to get back. We're 
 busy with various arrangements for to-morrow, and 
 I'm wanted down there." 
 
 " Oh, but," said Wasserufer eagerly, " we will not 
 keep you late. You shall go home at ten if you 
 must " 
 
 Once more the man's deep-set eyes sought the little 
 face he loved, and once more he got the negative 
 signal. This time he knew there must be something 
 behind it, and he quietly and courteously confirmed 
 his refusal, feeling sure he would hear the reason on 
 the following night. 
 
 " Fact is, we have a little surprise for you all to- 
 morrow," said he gaily. " Miss Merton did you 
 know that you made a sensation at the ball at Geneva
 
 184 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 when they had the pierrot dance ? Well, we're going 
 to have something of the same kind, so that you may 
 repeat your success." 
 
 " Oh 1 " cried Vere ; " but, if that's the case, we 
 ought to have a rehearsal ! " 
 
 " That's all right, Pat's coming, and you only have 
 to do what you did last time." 
 
 " Pat Beresford ! Oh, if Pat's there he'll see me 
 through," she answered, her mind flying to her vision 
 and the distinct picture she had had of Pat Beresford 
 in the king's car in London. He must be returning 
 pretty quickly, if that vision were true. 
 
 " But," cried Uncle Loo, " what is this that my 
 nieceling has done, and why have I not been told 
 about it ? " 
 
 " Why, Uncle Loo, I had hardly got home before 
 the bomb dropped on Geneva, and since then nobody 
 has talked of anything so frivolous as dancing," she 
 laughed. " If you want details, ask Jo ; it was she 
 who let me in for it." 
 
 " We did not know that she was so famous," said 
 Wasserufer, letting his little sharp eyes rove from 
 Vere to the Armitages, from Diane to Gilles. He 
 was debating in his mind whether this little social 
 success of the girl was for him a good thing or a bad. 
 Was it wise that she should be in the public eye ? . . . 
 There was an alternative to the two plans proposed 
 by his wife for the disposal of Vere when they had 
 done with her. She might marry Coverley, she might 
 become the mistress of Gilles for, whatever Diane 
 might think, he did not contemplate for a moment the 
 possibility that Raumont would marry her ; or she 
 might disappear quite easily. There would be no 
 difficulty about coaxing her down into the cavern 
 she loved adventure ; neither would there be any
 
 DIANE'S PLAN 185 
 
 difficulty in persuading her to eat a sugar-plum with 
 enough opiate in it to render her unconscious ; he 
 was always giving her sweets. The oubliette at the 
 back of that cavern had kept the d'Almier secrets 
 very safely for many generations past. Uncle Loo 
 rather thought that Vere might end that way ; but 
 first Gilles or or himself . . . might have their 
 pleasure of her. He licked his lips at the thought. 
 She was fond of him had sat upon his knee the 
 old uncle would sit there again. If she were given 
 enough narcotic to make her sleepy . . . the thought 
 of holding her, half asleep, cradled in one's arms . . . 
 his thoughts were travelling too far, and he checked 
 himself with a start. His wife was not easy to hood- 
 wink. 
 
 Jo Armitage began to relate the details of her 
 having been asked to persuade her guest at a moment's 
 notice to take part in the balloon dance. Her story 
 drew everyone's attention. They were all on the 
 terrace, and Vere was standing beside a table upon 
 which lay the writing-tablet and pencil which she 
 always used for copying out such words as she did 
 not know, in the French book which she happened 
 to be reading. While seeming idly to play with the 
 pencil, and contributing derisive interjections to the 
 conversation, she contrived to scrawl a few words 
 upon a loose bit of paper and to crush it into a tight 
 ball in her hand. The first bell for dinner sounded 
 and Ned Coverley made a move to depart. 
 
 As he said good-bye to her, he felt the screw of 
 paper pressed against his palm and, though unaccus- 
 tomed to such expedients, he managed to retain it 
 when letting go her hand. 
 
 The fact of her having given it, and a certain 
 wistfulness in her eyes, took away much of the smart
 
 l86 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 he felt when she conveyed her orders to him not to 
 stay. 
 
 As soon as he was out of sight he opened out the 
 paper and colour rushed to his face as he read : 
 Look out for danger on way home. 
 
 What did that mean ? Surely it meant that the 
 dwellers in the chateau had designs upon him on 
 account of his knowledge of their underground 
 premises. His life might be threatened some boulder 
 might, quite accidentally, roll down from the hill 
 or a car might run over him in the twilight or a 
 footpad might hit him over the head from behind. . . . 
 
 In any case, he was to look out ; and Vere had 
 warned him. 
 
 Quite clearly and definitely he saw that the life 
 which last year had seemed a burden, was now of 
 vast importance to him. He did not want to die and, 
 what was more, he had no intention of dying ! 
 
 On reflection, it did not seem to him that he could 
 be in danger at the moment. A reason for Wasse- 
 rufer's hospitable pressing of him to stay and dine 
 began to show itself. Were he returning late, the 
 night being dark, and the assassins placed, it might 
 be a different matter. Nevertheless, he was taking 
 no chances. 
 
 He walked not by the short cut, but by the carriage 
 road, keeping well in the centre of it, to the outskirts 
 of Sannetier ; and when he reached the Hotel des 
 Erables, he went in, hired a car and drove the rest 
 of the way. Full well he knew that nothing would 
 happen to him unless he were quite alone. 
 
 His thoughts as he sat in the ramshackle little two- 
 seater beside the garrulous driver, were full of thrills. 
 He would see Vere the following day, he would dance 
 with her, he would hear what had made her caution
 
 DIANE'S PLAN 187 
 
 him ; but he was far from anticipating the actual 
 nature of the communication which was to be 
 made. 
 
 In view of the late hour, the ladies at d'Almier 
 decided not to change for dinner. " How could you 
 possibly look prettier than you already do ? " Uncle 
 Loo unctuously demanded ; and they went off upstairs 
 to wash their hands, Bill accompanying his wife. 
 Wasserufer and Raumont were left together on the 
 terrace. 
 
 " Come," said the former in German, after a 
 moment's silence, " here we are, free of the women 
 for the moment. Gilles, tell me which of Diane's 
 plans will best suit you ? " 
 
 " Diane's plans ? " asked Gilles somewhat blankly. 
 " Have I heard them ? " 
 
 " That I cannot say. You are usually deep in her 
 confidence not true ? " 
 
 " I doubt it," said Gilles after a pause. " The 
 Baronne is not one to make confidences." 
 
 " That is so ; however, let me explain. It is 
 possible in fact, it is almost inevitable that a time 
 will soon arise when the pretty nieceling must be 
 disposed of." 
 
 " Disposed of ? " echoed Gilles, hoping the question 
 did not come too sharply. " What do you mean by 
 that ? " 
 
 Wasserufer regarded him with a kind of toad-like 
 amusement. 
 
 " Has it occurred to you that the pretty nieceling 
 obtains how shall I say ? a bit more limelight 
 than her good aunt intended ? " 
 
 Gilles smoked a moment before replying. " Diane," 
 he said at last, " had seen Vere's portrait when she 
 sent for her. She required, or so I gathered, a girl
 
 l88 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 of good manners and appearance if possible, a girl 
 capable of seriously attracting Billie Armitage." 
 
 " Pre-cisely ; but Billie' s marriage upset that apple- 
 cart pretty completely." 
 
 " Yet Vere is so attractive that she captivated both 
 him and his wife ; so that, in spite of the unexpected 
 turn of affairs, she has served your purpose well." 
 
 " That is so. I grant it. But for Armitage' s clever 
 move in sending off his guest too quickly we should 
 be now on velvet " 
 
 " Well then, what about it ? Miss Merton has been 
 very useful, and will almost certainly be so again. 
 Why should Diane wish to get rid of her ? " 
 
 " Diane has formed a rather clever plan," said 
 Wasserufer chattily, observing the other man through 
 eyes almost closed. " She is afraid of Dr. Coverley ; 
 afraid that he knows too much about our under- 
 ground plans ; also he has doubtless said something 
 of that to the nieceling. He is in love with the niece- 
 ling, as you may have observed. What better than 
 to make up the match between them ? Their mouths 
 are then closed, they cannot betray the good, kind 
 aunt and uncle who brought them together." 
 
 It was fortunate for Raumont that this speech was 
 a trifle lengthy. He had time to master the shock 
 of rage which made him see red for a moment. So 
 that was the plan ! Diane, he realised, would be 
 capable of anything in order to keep himself and 
 Vere apart. 
 
 Good! But it would be a pity if he were not a 
 match for old Wasserufer in craftiness. His agile 
 mind busied itself with the thought Why does he 
 tell me this ? if he wants it carried out, he knows 
 better than to suppose me likely to help it follows, 
 then, that he does not wish it carried out. Why ?
 
 DIANE'S PLAN 189 
 
 Has the old satyr designs on the girl himself ? . . . 
 The notion shed a flood of light upon the situation. 
 Gilles had heard Wasserufer speak of the girl as pro- 
 vocative. That was what she emphatically was. It 
 was the quality in her which drew these continental 
 men like a magnet ; the almost insolent carelessness 
 which was the result of her English training ; her 
 apparently complete unconsciousness that she was 
 dangling temptation before them all the time. 
 
 Gilles seethed with fury and emotion. Yet he knew 
 that at whatever cost to himself he must not betray 
 it. He achieved a perfectly calm voice and manner 
 as he said slowly : " So that's the idea, is it ? Well, 
 why not ? " 
 
 Uncle Loo was more than ever like a benevolent 
 vulture as he considered alike the man and his words. 
 
 " You say, why not ? " he repeated as if dreamily. 
 " You are not unwilling you, a man with red blood 
 in your veins that a girl like that be given to one of 
 these English, without passion, without discrimination 
 capable of nothing warmer than a mawkish desire 
 for domesticity ? " 
 
 " Can you suggest anything better ? " was the direct 
 retort. 
 
 " H'm ! H'm ! I was wondering whether your 
 fertile brain might not " 
 
 Raumont answered almost lightly. " I am wholly 
 in agreement with Diane. If this is the best way to 
 silence Coverley, take it by all means ; for, if you 
 try other methods, it is above all essential that it 
 should not be done here. Nobody must be able to 
 connect it with you. I expect you agree ? " 
 
 " I see your point, Gilles " 
 
 " Very well. Let them get engaged to-morrow at 
 the ball if Vere is willing, of which I, for one, am not
 
 1 90 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 at all sure. Make a fuss with Coverley, invite him 
 here, talk of the settlements you will make upon Vere, 
 as if she were your daughter. He will, I am almost 
 sure, have to go to England before the wedding ; 
 but at least he will go to Geneva to transact business. 
 Very well. He must never come back. Nobody need 
 know. Diane must not know. It is merely a ques- 
 tion of putting one of our men on the taxi of your 
 stopping it on the way up and asking for a lift. You 
 will drug him with my own ' Oblivia,' which is certain 
 in its action and when you arrive, you and I will 
 drop him down the oubliette. Our man will swear 
 that he did not drive him back that night ; and that 
 will be all. His disappearance will not cause much 
 surprise. I shall impress upon Vere that to my own 
 knowledge his mind has been unbalanced during the 
 past two years ; and our chief danger will be safely 
 out of the way. But there is one thing you will have 
 to remember. If you do what I have outlined, you 
 must never henceforward allow Vere to crystal-gaze. 
 She would infallibly see what had happened ; and the 
 result might be ... inconvenient." 
 
 " Oh, I think you need not be anxious about that," 
 murmured Uncle Loo silkily. " We shall have her so 
 completely in our own hands . . . and if we are tired 
 of her she can so easily be rendered innocuous. ... " 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV AND IT WAS NED 
 
 As Gilles Raumont sat beside Vere on the front seat 
 of the car facing the Baronne and Uncle Loo as they 
 drove to the " Charmant" next evening, he thought of 
 the first time they had travelled down the hill together,
 
 AND IT WAS NED IQI 
 
 on their way to the former ball. Even then he had 
 been conscious of thrills of an unwonted stir on the 
 surface of an existence which was fast growing weari- 
 some since his brief passion for Diane had cooled. 
 
 Now he was become a man of one idea. To have 
 Vere for his own to have her respond to his desire 
 was the only thing in all the world that mattered. 
 He was in the bonds of one of those obsessions which 
 lead men to murder or suicide ; and it was this girl 
 from suburban London, without fortune, without 
 experience, without prestige, without anything but 
 her potent personality, who had snared him and who 
 was seated at his side, teasing him and Wasserufer 
 alternately, clad in one of the dresses she had recently 
 acquired through the bounty of Uncle Loo a picture, 
 from her blonde hair to her silver shoes. 
 
 Their arrival was in strong contrast with that 
 former time when the stranger girl stood eager and 
 diffident outside the ball-room while Aunt Diane 
 went and persuaded Dr. Coverley, against his will, to 
 come and dance with her English niece. 
 
 To-night, both Coverley and Hardcastle were await- 
 ing them under the porch veranda ; and Coverley, 
 stepping forward, announced himself deputed by the 
 members of the Pierrot dance troupe to capture 
 Vere and bring her to where they awaited her for 
 rehearsal. 
 
 Gilles had had the forethought to obtain the promise 
 of three dances Vere drew the line at three. She said 
 she did not like to have the evening " cluttered up 
 with promises." He had to let her go off with Coverley, 
 in view of the plan in which he had pretended to 
 acquiesce. Without displaying any impatience or 
 displeasure at her disappearance, he danced off with 
 Diane, who was bursting with the desire to question
 
 igZ THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 him, but concealed all curiosity with her customary 
 sang-froid. Wasserufer had told her that Gilles quite 
 agreed with them that an engagement between Vere 
 and Coverley would be the best way out of their 
 difficulty. Such consent on the part of Gilles suggested 
 to her one of two things : either he was less in love 
 than she feared ; or he had no intention of letting the 
 engagement come to anything. Of the two supposi- 
 tions, the latter was far the more probable. 
 
 The jealous woman eyed him keenly when, as she 
 and he were sitting by the wall together, Ned and 
 Vere entered the ball-room and slid into the dance. 
 Raumont dared not even allow his eyes to follow the 
 lithe figure of the girl as she moved buoyantly in 
 the circle of Ned's arm. Nevertheless, his control 
 almost failed him. He felt that life could offer him 
 no greater joy than to drive a knife into Coverley's 
 heart. The raw, primitive craving to destroy his rival 
 and carry off the woman glowed in him for the first 
 time in his calculating life. Yet he succeeded in 
 turning a composed gaze upon his partner. 
 
 " Poisonously hot in here. Let's go and seek a 
 drink," said he ; and sauntered out of the room, 
 wondering all the time how long he would be able to 
 stifle his murderous propensities. 
 
 Although he had given Vere but one sweeping 
 glance as she came in, he had detected, he was certain 
 of it, a radiance in her face, as though a lamp burned 
 behind it. He had never seen her look like that 
 before. Why why could she not look like that at 
 him ? How could he make her love him ? 
 
 That a dry stick like Coverley could kindle such a 
 torch seemed incredible ! 
 
 As for Ned, for him, too, the focus of life that night 
 was just Vere. Far as he was from realising the fierce
 
 AND IT WAS NED 193 
 
 nature of the passion she had kindled in Raumont, 
 he yet knew that she had been attracted by the man, 
 but that he no longer fascinated her. His own ac- 
 quaintance was, after all, but slight. If to Gilles the 
 idea of being loved by her seemed hopeless, to Ned it 
 was incredible. That he, Ned, should be the favoured 
 suitor bordered on the fantastic. 
 
 So far they had been completely occupied in chatter, 
 the exchange of greetings and the making of arrange- 
 ments ; in a brief rehearsal, in a kind of mutual 
 pleasure in reunion. Now at last Ned had her to 
 himself, and at first there seemed no words. . . . 
 
 Suddenly he whispered: " Vere I have got to call 
 you Vere whether you mind or not but you don't 
 mind, do you ? " 
 
 " Ned, how can you be so ridiculous ? Call me 
 what you like, for I believe and I'm serious I truly 
 believe you're the only friend I've got." 
 
 Something was in her voice which produced a slight 
 shock of surprise, but it called out the best and most 
 unselfish in him. " Well," he replied, " I am your 
 friend, you may bet on that. I'm not much of an 
 ally, but you can rely on me." 
 
 " There are so many things," she faltered, " that I 
 want to say to you ' ' 
 
 " And I to you ! First of all I want to know what 
 made you think me in danger last night." 
 
 " You were in danger, Ned. No doubt of that ; 
 and I would like to tell you all about it." 
 
 " Tell away. I'm listening." 
 
 " Not here," she whispered. " Not anywhere that 
 we might be overheard. It is frightfully private." 
 
 " All right. I know where. There's a place in 
 this garden which is the very thing. Shall we go ? " 
 
 " Not yet. Better dance out this dance, and seem 
 
 N
 
 194 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 to be just as usual. Oh, Ned, I'm frightened ! I 
 don't think I'm a coward, but I'm frightened . . ." 
 
 His arm tightened about her. " My darling . . . 
 Oh, help ! That just slipped out ! As you were ! " 
 
 A little sound of laughter escaped her. Ned was a 
 dear! The very Englishness of him was extra*- 
 ordinarily comforting. 
 
 Almost at once the music ceased, for they had not 
 entered the room until the dance was more than half 
 over. Ned had so manoeuvred that they were near 
 the window, and in a trice they slipped out and fled 
 to the darkest shadows, in which they could move 
 unseen toward the place he had in view. 
 
 The night was round them. The dark sky was 
 powdered with stars and against the inky blue loomed 
 the intense blackness of the mountain barrier, all the 
 more formidable because unseen. 
 
 They descended some steps cut in the mountain- 
 side and reached a tiny terrace, just large enough 
 for a table and two chairs, and inaccessible from 
 below. 
 
 " Nobody could overhear us now unless we speak 
 very loud," said the man. " Even if they leaned 
 over the railing above ; and if they did that we could 
 see them. So, to business. My late inadvertency 
 may have suggested to you the nature of what I had 
 decided to try and say to you to-night, but if you are 
 really, as you said just now, frightened, I think you 
 ought to speak first . . . yet I hardly know. You 
 might be able to place confidence in me more com- 
 pletely if you know that I I well, that I'm head 
 over ears in love with you." 
 
 " No, no, wait," the girl broke in, her unsteady 
 voice showing how much she was moved by this blunt 
 declaration. " You haven't heard what I want to
 
 AND IT WAS NED IQ5 
 
 tell you. You may feel afterwards that you want to 
 draw back " 
 
 " Have to be something pretty deadly, then! Not 
 married, or or anything like that, are you ? " 
 
 " Dr. Coverley, I am not. But I chose to disregard 
 the warning you gave me when I first met you. You 
 told me to beware of Gilles Raumont, and I laughed. 
 I didn't think he could do anything to me ; and the 
 
 result is But I'd better tell you as coherently as 
 
 I can " 
 
 " For pity's sake let me hear the worst! This is 
 too awful . . . but don't you think you could speak 
 more freely if I er if I was supporting you ? " 
 his arm stole round her with gentle determination. 
 " There ! See how much closer your mouth is to my 
 ear ! You can say anything now without fear of 
 being overheard or even seen." 
 
 Just for a moment Vere yielded to the surprising 
 fascination of his touch, wondering why this was so 
 different so unlike her feelings with any of the boys 
 with whom she had flirted in Mitchingham. But she 
 speedily realised that the emotion kindled in her by 
 the close contact was too poignant to allow of what 
 she meant to be a full confession of backsliding ; and 
 she whispered : 
 
 ''Please, Ned, not yet! Not yet let me have 
 myself in hand until I've told you all I want to tell. 
 . . . Oh, thank you, you are very understanding. . . . 
 I'll be as quick as I can, but it's rather awful, and I 
 hardly know how to believe it." 
 
 She sat upright, with a sigh of longing as the pressure 
 of his arm relaxed, but nevertheless plunged ruth- 
 lessly into her story. She told how she had been made 
 to betray Billie's confidence this part of the business 
 being made much easier for her by the fact that Ned
 
 196 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 had the previous day heard from Billie the name of 
 him for whom the bomb was intended. 
 
 Thence she went on to her own rash attempt to 
 hoodwink the astute trio that afternoon, and the 
 horrible knowledge of their nefarious dealings which 
 had resulted ; ending with the fatal fact that Gilles 
 had not been altogether deceived and that his im- 
 parting of the truth to the Wasserufers was probably 
 but a matter of time. 
 
 " In fact they may know it now. I wouldn't be a 
 bit surprised, for they are all three such hypocrites, 
 I never know what to believe. At least I am sure of 
 two things. They want to murder King Raoul and 
 they want to get hold of you, for some reason as to 
 the nature of which I haven't much doubt." 
 
 " Did Bill tell you what I told him yesterday about 
 the cavern under the cellar ? " 
 
 " No ! Oh, do tell me. . . ." 
 
 " If you'll let me support you," he whispered in- 
 sinuatingly. " Come ! You'll withstand shocks much 
 better if I'm in charge. ..." 
 
 " I I don't so much mind now," she murmured, 
 " because you haven't scolded me. I thought you 
 might not like to ' support ' a girl who could carry 
 out a fraud. ..." 
 
 " The worst I can say about that is that I wish 
 you hadn't done it, in spite of the valuable results 
 obtained. You're awfully plucky, Vere, but a bit 
 foolhardy, you know, my child. If I am to have 
 any say in the matter, I shall have to forbid the taking 
 of such risks . . . but very probably you'll retort 
 that I've no rights at all . . . ? " 
 
 For a long moment she did not answer that. His 
 arm had again slid round her and he was holding her 
 in the capacious grasp which was at once so strong
 
 AND IT WAS NED 197 
 
 and so tender. "I ... wonder," she sighed out at 
 last. " Ned, what have you done to me ? I never 
 meant to marry anyone in the least like you." 
 
 " I never meant to marry anyone in the least like 
 you . . . what was your ideal ? Tell me." 
 
 " Oh, somebody very modern the last word ! 
 Somebody who never slopped over into sentiment, 
 but was always perfectly self-possessed and had a 
 repartee of a smart kind for every possible occasion. 
 At the same time he must be young and ready to 
 frivol rich, and able to let me have a good time. ..." 
 " As for me," he answered dreamily, " I wanted an 
 old-fashioned girl. One who believed in duty, and to 
 whom cigarettes and cocktails were anathema. ..." 
 
 Vere's laughter bubbled up. " Are we both frauds ? 
 Were we mistaken in the kind of person we thought 
 we wanted ? Or are we mistaken in the kind of person 
 we believe ourselves to be ? " 
 
 Ned replied, "I'm long past analysing my feelings 
 for you, Vere ; but one thing I must warn you of. 
 You can't take my heart to play with. I won't say 
 I can't frivol, but in this one respect I'm in deadly 
 earnest and I can't change. I want you for my own, 
 and I want you for always. How about it ? " 
 
 He felt her wriggle as if impatiently, but she did 
 not try to elude his hold. " Didn't I tell you," she 
 murmured pettishly, " that I can't be cool and level- 
 headed when you are so near ? . . . Suppose . . . 
 just suppose that I were to find when I wake up to- 
 morrow morning, when you're not there, that I don't 
 feel as as I do to-night ? " 
 
 His clasp tightened a little and his question was 
 breathless. " How do you feel to-night, Vere ? " 
 
 She turned towards him with a little gasping laugh 
 that was almost a sob. " Just just as I suppose
 
 198 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 I should feel if I were a sentimental idiot ! " , . . the 
 fact that her mouth was pressed against his coat 
 muffled her voice so that he had to stoop very low 
 to hear. 
 
 He put his hand softly under her chin, lifting her 
 face until his lips found hers. . . . 
 
 Neither was conscious of the duration of that 
 wonderful kiss. In silence they sat on, as if feeling 
 that any change must be for the worse. At last Ned 
 muttered huskily : 
 
 " I'd better take a leaf out of Raumont's book. 
 Listen to me, girl ! To-morrow morning when you 
 awaken, say to yourself, ' I belong to Ne'd ; and if I 
 forget that, there will be the devil to pay ! ' Got 
 those simple words ? " 
 
 Flinging up her soft bare arms she locked them about 
 his neck in a caress whose vehemence astonished 
 almost as much as it delighted him. 
 
 " Ned ! Ned ! I don't know how you found out 
 that we belong to each other, but you are perfectly 
 right ! We do ! We do ! " 
 
 CHAPTER XXV GILLES DEFEATED 
 
 WHEN Coverley and Vere reappeared it needed but 
 one glance to tell Raumont what had happened. The 
 light that never was on sea or land glowed in their 
 faces, little as they themselves suspected it. 
 
 Outwardly unmoved, Gilles approached to claim his 
 dances. Vere acquiesced and Ned resigned her, with 
 such ease and apparent indifference that the jealous 
 lover felt certain their demeanour had been determined 
 beforehand.
 
 GILLES DEFEATED 199 
 
 The dance was just beginning and he led her off, 
 noting that Ned instantly went up to Hardcastle, 
 who was sitting out with Jo Armitage, and said 
 a few words, bending over them ; whereupon they 
 arose at once and the three went out of doors 
 together. 
 
 For the first time there occurred to Gilles the thought 
 that he had been too clever he had not reckoned 
 with the fact that Vere, if she accepted Ned, would at 
 once confide in him. She knew what had happened 
 that afternoon ; in spite of her bluff, Gilles was almost 
 certain that she knew. Therefore Ned now also knew, 
 and his first step would be to place her in safety. 
 Naturally it was the Armitages to whom he would 
 turn. 
 
 Lord and Lady Billie had taken a furnished flat at 
 Eaux Vives in which to live until their own was 
 rebuilt. This would be their last night at the chateau, 
 and what more natural than that they should beg to 
 have Vere for a few days with them to help them 
 settle in. From thence her escape to England would 
 be easy. 
 
 Raumont's head began to swim. If Wasserafer 
 knew that Vere had been shamming that afternoon, 
 her life would be forfeit. Luitpold would listen 
 neither to his wife nor to Gilles if he felt himself 
 really in danger. Their talk that afternoon had 
 given Gilles a horrible glimpse of the elder man's 
 feelings, and he knew him to be absolutely unscrupu- 
 lous. In the cavern Vere would be at his mercy. 
 Moreover, she would serve as a bait with which to 
 lure Ned. If he knew of the cavern, as he did, and 
 if Vere was missing then Vere's betrothed would 
 rush to the rescue and he also would never be heard 
 of again.
 
 200 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 These things being so, what course could he, 
 Raumont, follow ? 
 
 Either he must let Ned actually marry Vere, and 
 seal his lips in the way Diane suggested ; or Ned 
 must be swiftly made away with, in such fashion that 
 Vere could have no suspicion. As for her, if she were 
 alone she could be easily rendered harmless ; he could 
 think of ways. . . . He could neither bear the thought 
 of her death, nor of her belonging to any other man. 
 His mind was in chaos, his emotions so insurgent that 
 he distrusted his own judgment. There was no one 
 whom he could consult ; for he felt sure that he 
 could hold no intimate talk with Diane without her 
 discovering what had happened the previous after- 
 noon. These reflections made him utterly silent as 
 they danced ; and Vere was so filled with the excite- 
 ment of her own late experiences that she did not 
 even notice whether he spoke or not. The cessation 
 of the music brought them to themselves with a start. 
 
 " Why, what an interesting talk we've had ! " teased 
 Vere. 
 
 " Yes, I remarked that you were unusually spark- 
 ling," was the retort. " Let us make up for it now! 
 Come along, the next two are mine, and we'll sit out 
 the first, perhaps the next also. Are you chilly ? 
 Shall I fetch you a wrap ? Or would you like a 
 drink ? " 
 
 " Not yet, to both those requests. If I get chilly 
 we will come in. What a jolly dance, isn't it ? Not 
 so crowded as last time, but just enough dancers to 
 make things go." 
 
 " I haven't been noticing much," he replied ab- 
 stractedly ; adding with a sneer, " I thought we knew 
 each other well enough by now not to make conversa- 
 tion. However, if you wish it, I'll produce a remark
 
 GILLES DEFEATED 201 
 
 or two on the fineness of the night, and the fact that 
 they do you well at the ' Charmant ' ; concluding with 
 a compliment to my late partner." 
 
 " Well done yourself ! You know it's not so easy 
 as it sounds. In fact, let us chuck it and I'll tell 
 you a funny story, or a story I think funny, about 
 something that happened to me in England, at a 
 Mitchingham dance." 
 
 As a rule he was enchanted to hear such anecdotes, 
 but to-night he was not a good listener. However, 
 he did not offer to introduce any fresh topic, so she 
 rattled on for some time, until suddenly he turned to 
 her with a brusque movement unlike his usual calm 
 and said without preface : 
 
 " I want the truth, Vere. Were you shamming 
 yesterday afternoon ? " 
 
 " Let me see yesterday afternoon what were we 
 doing then ? Playing tennis ? " 
 
 " It won't do. You know perfectly well what I 
 mean. Answer me plainly." 
 
 " Oh you're referring to some charge which you 
 dragged me into a dark corner of the hall to make ! 
 What was the charge exactly ? Mind repeating ? " 
 
 " I charge you with pretending to be hypnotised 
 when really you were not " 
 
 "Gilles!" very sharply "were you daring to 
 hypnotise me yesterday, when you knew very well 
 that I said you never were to do such a thing again ? 
 When you knew how much I object ? Well, it seems 
 that you are determined to make me dislike you. 
 Don't expect me ever to be friends with you again ! 
 It would have served you right if I had pretended! 
 Jolly well right! " 
 
 " Did you pretend ? That's all I want to know." 
 
 " I shall answer you as Sir Walter Scott did when
 
 202 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 asked if he was the author of ' Waverley ' yes, I 
 was pretending ; but if I were not, I should say 
 I was, because you have no right to ask the ques- 
 tion." 
 
 This puzzled him. " You want me to think you 
 were pretending ? " 
 
 " Really I don't care a button what you think. I 
 know you think you're extremely clever. Go on 
 thinking so if you like, but don't bore me about it." 
 
 " Do I bore you, Vere ? " 
 
 " Not as a rule au contraire, as the clergyman said 
 to the lady who asked him on board the steamer if 
 he had had his breakfast " 
 
 " Good God, Vere, it's incredible to me that you 
 should dare to go on fencing like this " 
 
 " For pity's sake, Gilles, tell me what you mean ! 
 Is this the third degree that you're trying to apply, 
 and if so by what possible right ? One would think 
 I was your slave or a criminal ? If you are going to 
 make yourself so disagreeable, please find another 
 partner." 
 
 He made a sound almost like a groan. This was 
 not the time nor the place in which to threaten her ; 
 and in no other way that he could see could she be 
 brought to book. Her provocative insolence, her fear- 
 lessness, made him wild, but he dared not turn upon 
 her, knowing that if he did so she would go straight 
 to Coverley. No, it must wait everything must wait 
 until she was back at d'Almier ; and if he frightened 
 her she would not go back there at all, he felt certain 
 of that. 
 
 His role was to reassure and please her, and if 
 possible to surprise a confidence on the subject of 
 herself and Ned. Diane would wish to know for 
 certain what at present was but surmise, although
 
 GILLES DEFEATED 203 
 
 Gilles felt sure in his heart that the two had definitely 
 come to an understanding. 
 
 She was actually making a move to rise from the 
 seat on which they sat. He put out his hand it was 
 burning hot and laid it beseechingly upon her knee. 
 
 " Forgive me, Vere. Whatever else you pretend 
 not to know, you do at least know a little bit what I 
 feel for you. If, as I'm almost certain, the better man 
 has won, at least let me let me Vere, I swear I 
 only want your happiness. I'm your friend although 
 you said you didn't trust me " 
 
 " No, Gilles," she interposed quietly, " I did not 
 say that I only asked you why I should trust you ? 
 If what you just now hinted at is true, and you hyp- 
 notised me yesterday against my express wish, there 
 is good and strong reason why I can't trust you ; 
 and how can I really like a man I don't trust ? " 
 
 " How can I explain to you what a man feels ? " 
 he muttered. " But I see you won't have me for a 
 friend at all. I've failed utterly with you, because 
 I never met the kind of girl you are before, in all my 
 wretched life. Oh, Vere, if I had met you ten years 
 ago ! Would to God I had ! " 
 
 " Gilles, I'm sorry," she replied impulsively, re- 
 sponding at once to an outburst which rang sincere. 
 " I expect it's the difference between England and 
 other countries. I ought to have been more careful ; 
 but but somehow I have thought of you as Aunt 
 Diane's contemporary an elder cousin, or something 
 of that kind, with whom I could be at ease. We 
 English girls have grown used to not having to be 
 always on guard ; and really I didn't know I was so 
 fatally attractive at home they didn't even think I 
 was pretty! So you must forgive me and forget 
 me."
 
 204 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Forget you! " he repeated, his curious pale eyes 
 gleaming on her. " You don't expect much, do 
 you ? " 
 
 " Gilles forgive me for saying it but I did expect 
 a good deal from you ; and you disappointed me." 
 
 He sat for a long moment gazing straight before 
 him. " Well," said he slowly, at last, " perhaps after 
 all I am not too old to learn. At least I can try. 
 Don't give me up altogether, Vere." 
 
 Humble enough, thought the girl ; but she could 
 hardly resist saying to him : "I know you to be the 
 accomplice of assassins and conspirators ! " 
 
 She could not say this without owning that she 
 had been shamming the previous day. Therefore she 
 said nothing at all except : "I think that rests with 
 you more than with me." 
 
 He almost laughed aloud with self-scorn to think 
 how completely this little nobody put him in his place. 
 Yet he knew that every disdainful word and glance 
 made him the more hopelessly her slave. 
 
 " Very well," he said in a hard voice, " it's under- 
 stood. We go back to ordinary ball-room conversation 
 in the hope that I may utter a few platitudes without 
 offending your majesty." 
 
 " Gilles, I'll pay you a great compliment. You never 
 talk platitudes ! You're a most interesting talker ; 
 but I've just taken a peep at my watch, and I find I 
 must fly. The Pierrot dance is the next item. Au 
 revoir! " 
 
 On this, she stood up ; and, after a somewhat 
 anxious silence, during which she wondered if an 
 outbreak were imminent, he rose without a word, 
 offered his arm, and formally escorted her to the ball- 
 room, where she left him and ran off upstairs. 
 
 He glanced all around until he saw Wasserufer sitting
 
 GILLES DEFEATED 205 
 
 in the lounge at a small table, sipping whisky-and- 
 soda. 
 
 Raumont joined him, seating himself with a light 
 and satisfied air that might have deceived Mephisto- 
 pheles himself. " Well," he began, " I think there's 
 very little doubt that it has actually come off as we 
 planned. She won't admit it, but I'm fairly certain 
 that she and Coverley are actually engaged." 
 
 "So! " said Uncle Loo ponderously. " Ach so! 
 Have you told Diane ? " 
 
 " Not yet. I don't know officially myself ; but I've 
 just been dancing with Vere, and I've very little 
 doubt." 
 
 At the moment the Baronne approached on the arm 
 of a partner, who made his bow and retired. Luitpold 
 beckoned and she came to where they sat. 
 
 Diane listened to what she was told and nodded 
 her fine head almost imperceptibly. " It is true," she 
 said calmly, " I guessed the place they would make 
 for, so when they went out of doors I followed, and 
 after a while, having strolled round with my partner 
 I leaned over the railings and looked down. It was 
 very dark, but I'm fairly sure she was in his arms." 
 
 Raumont checked the oath that rose to his lips. 
 
 " Now listen, both of you," went on Diane calmly, 
 " this is the most fortunate chance for us. Our role 
 is to be the sympathetic, generous, delightful aunt 
 and uncle, to give the girl full liberty, to ask no ques- 
 tions. Make her feel quite sure of our affection and 
 our interest. Let her be married from the chateau, 
 and we are perfectly safe for the future." 
 
 " Safe we may be," replied Wasserufer smoothly, 
 " but are we any nearer our goal ? Our experiment 
 was a costly one, and it has failed, and failed badly. 
 The King of Kilistria is alive ; and he will not again
 
 206 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 come to Geneva, for Armitage knows very well for 
 whom that bomb was intended, whether or no he 
 suspects the hand that threw it." 
 
 Diane, who had seemed lost in thought, raised her 
 sleek head and looked warily around her. But for 
 themselves, the lounge was empty, for a dance was in 
 progress, and the members of the Pierrot cotillion 
 were behind the scenes, engaged in dressing. 
 
 " Listen, you two," she murmured in German, " just 
 as we were setting out this evening, Stein gave me a 
 telegram. I could not open it then, I slipped it into 
 my bag ; but I have just now read it when I was 
 sure of not being seen. Perhaps I ought not to 
 mention it here, but it seems urgent, and you two 
 might blame me if I kept it to myself." 
 
 " Gott in Himmel ! " muttered Luitpold. "Don't 
 show it, whatever you do. Can't you repeat it ? " 
 
 Diane's hand, on its way to open her gold-mesh 
 bag, paused while she knit her brow in concentration. 
 Then she murmured a sentence in German : 
 
 Lady's underwear ordered by you dispatched from 
 Gailima yesterday by Simplon Route. 
 
 Luitpold and Gilles simultaneously caught their 
 breath. 
 
 " That means . . . the Queen . . . she has left 
 Gailima," murmured the latter. 
 
 " The Queen ? Um-ah ! Good ! She is on her 
 way to join him," replied Wasserufer in the same 
 almost inaudible voice. " Now where where ? Is 
 it possible that he is coming back to Geneva to meet 
 her ? " 
 
 " But for this wire, I should say impossible," was 
 Diane's opinion, " but remember, they are reckless
 
 GILLES DEFEATED 207 
 
 enough for anything. At least we must put men on 
 the Simplon route without delay. She will be incognito 
 as he was, but in all probability not disguised. We 
 must know where she is going." 
 
 Raumont had been studying the exact wording of 
 the message. " ' Dispatched ' means that she has 
 actually left the country," he mused. " Does not ' by 
 you ' mean that she is coming here ? " 
 
 Luitpold drew out a pocket-book and consulted it. 
 " You are right, it does ; but they are probably 
 mistaken. A trail would be laid to deceive them. 
 It sounds too unlikely " 
 
 " For which reason, Billie Armitage is all the more 
 likely to attempt it." 
 
 " You think so ? Well, well, may be. . . . Ah, it 
 is too tempting! If we could get rid of them all at 
 once the three " 
 
 " Couldn't we invent some way of inveigling them 
 to the terminus to Veyrier ? " breathed Gilles. 
 " The gun would be a certainty on that mark! Is 
 there no way of decoying them ? " He struck his 
 open hand with his clenched fist. "Hell! If it were 
 not for that cursed Coverley, I could use Vere for 
 that ! I could have made her do anything for me, if 
 Diane hadn't dragged in that damn fool ! And now 
 she's useless and Diane's cleverness has done it ! " 
 
 Diane grew white. Hate looked out from her eyes 
 as she set her teeth firmly together. 
 
 Wasserufer glanced swiftly from the woman to the 
 man. " But," he said patiently, " you had her well 
 under control no longer ago than yesterday afternoon, 
 Gilles not true ? " 
 
 For a long instant Gilles held his breath. Should 
 he tell ? If he did, Vere was doomed, unless he could 
 save her ; and he knew she would not let him save her,
 
 208 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 if she could help it. Nothing was farther from the 
 thoughts of either of the couple now confronting him 
 than that he would allow them to be deceived by the 
 girl ; and after all he was not quite certain. He believed 
 that Diane had also been inclined to suspect something 
 the previous day ; but she had reassured herself, put 
 off the scent completely by Vere's subsequent be- 
 haviour. 
 
 No, he would not tell. He had the power that 
 secret knowledge gives, and he would use it against 
 these two. He might want to bolt to carry off Vere 
 under their noses 
 
 " Yesterday afternoon," he sneered, " we had her. 
 Now she has sat in the moonlight spooning with 
 Coverley and she is no longer ours. She will be com- 
 pletely insensitive a block of wood when next we 
 call upon her. This precious scheme of Diane's has 
 wrecked all my calculations." 
 
 It was too much for Diane. " You see, I did not 
 reckon with your falling in love with her," she sneered. 
 
 Raumont laughed gratingly. He looked at Luitpold 
 as one man may claim the sympathy of another against 
 the folly of women. 
 
 " Is Vere the first lady client I have had ? " he 
 asked witheringly. " Is it not a fact that unless I can 
 establish some kind of sexual ascendancy over my 
 subject, I can do but little ? ... It has been Diane's 
 mistake all along. I had Vere in the hollow of my 
 hand, but Diane must needs send her to Geneva to 
 get her head turned by flattery and what-not " 
 
 " Gilles, you know that it was absolutely essential 
 to get her out of the house for a few days," began 
 Diane, almost on the defensive as she encountered the 
 little gimlet eyes of her husband boring into her as 
 if they would discover all secrets, " not to mention
 
 GILLES DEFEATED 20Q 
 
 the fact that if she had not gone, we should never 
 have known of the king's visit." 
 
 " As you like ; but I don't mind betting you that 
 Vere never consents to try the crystal or anything of 
 that kind again. Hardcastle would see to that, and 
 he rules Coverley." 
 
 Wasserufer was reflecting profoundly. He was 
 probably well aware that his wife was Raumont's 
 mistress, and as long as that suited his plans he made 
 no objection. But if jealousy was to wreck said 
 plans, he would have something to say. 
 
 " If Vere is no longer of use to us, she becomes a 
 danger," he remarked. " Let her marry Coverley 
 and be off ; we had better not keep her here." 
 
 " And leave ourselves with no spy in the Armitage 
 camp ? " asked Diane slowly, as if pondering. " Let 
 me remind you of something it appears you have 
 forgotten. Yesterday, before her last meetings with 
 Coverley, Gilles laid certain commands on Vere when 
 she was in trance. I am inclined to think we shall 
 get results from that, in spite of what has happened 
 since. At least wait until to-morrow, to see if she 
 obeyed, and has placed any memoranda in the book. 
 Then let her go off to Geneva with them. Her lover 
 will follow. He is thinking of nothing but his love 
 affair, he was never less dangerous to us than at this 
 moment. She will come back in a few days, and as 
 soon as she returns, Gilles must absolutely get hold 
 of her again and put her under control. The more 
 she is mixed up with the Armitages, the more vital 
 it is that she should be at our command. Everything 
 must be sacrificed to that " 
 
 " I could handle her with perfect ease if Coverley 
 were out of the way," contended Gilles obstinately. 
 " Why don't you eliminate him, Luitpold ? " 
 
 O
 
 210 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " I'd do it within twelve hours if I were certain of 
 not being suspected," was the smooth reply. " If he 
 is the only person who knows well and good! But 
 if, as I surmise, he has told Armitage, I do not think 
 it would be safe. Not here. If he goes, there must 
 be no suspicion of our complicity." 
 
 Raumont sat glooming, his eyes like those of a cat 
 who pretends to be unaware of her enemy. The two 
 Wasserufers watched him hungrily. 
 
 " I think I know how it can be done," he suddenly 
 said. " There is a girl in the Galatian delegation who 
 was once my patient." 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI THE DRIVE HOME 
 
 BY the time the ball-room dance was over, and he 
 had witnessed Vere's performance, Raumont's head 
 was on fire and his intellect almost submerged beneath 
 his raging passions. He was by no means wholly 
 base, and it was without any pleasure that he saw 
 himself a double traitor. He had kept back from the 
 Wasserufers the knowledge of Vere's treachery ; and 
 he had sworn at all costs to bring her once more under 
 control. 
 
 Although born under the British flag, he had always 
 hated England and all she stands for, and had fought 
 against her in the Great War. By politics a violent 
 Socialist and a man with no strong roots of patriotism, 
 he had afterwards been easily persuaded by Wasserufer 
 to place his considerable engineering ability at the 
 service of the Soviet. Enmeshed by the attraction 
 of Diane and tempted by a substantial fee of that 
 gold which Russia can spend so lavishly when she
 
 THE DRIVE HOME 211 
 
 likes, he had gone to work to design the hidden gun, 
 the realisation of an idea which had come to him during 
 the war. His secret occupation was cunningly masked 
 under the guise of his quite genuine psycho-analytical 
 practice. 
 
 The beguiling of Billie Armitage, the confidential 
 man of the Kilistrian Legation, had proved a task 
 beyond Diane's powers ; and when she bethought her 
 of her niece in England, Gilles had approved of the 
 design to bring the girl to d'Almier. Vere's photo, 
 when it arrived, showed her of the type which entices, 
 consciously or unconsciously. Apparently she was 
 not wanted nor quite approved of at home, and she 
 was likely to prove a useful pawn in any game whereat 
 the attracting of men was indispensable. 
 
 Thus had the " fatal she " danced into the life of 
 Gilles Raumont, to work havoc. 
 
 He was now completely at a loss as to what to do. 
 If Vere had loved him . . . ah, that thought ... if 
 she had loved him, he might have risked all and 
 simply carried her off into Switzerland, taking himself 
 out of the Baronne's reach ; but, in addition to his 
 certainty that Vere would not come, he knew himself 
 to be in the power of Uncle Loo. He had not only 
 designed, superintended and trained the gun ; he had 
 actually fired it. He dare not quarrel with the owners 
 of the chateau. 
 
 Like most men hi the grip of a similar passion, he 
 felt sure that but for the existence of his rival he 
 would have been able to conquer. The more he 
 thought things over, the more positively he came to 
 the conclusion that the death of Coverley was the 
 one way out. He believed himself capable of playing 
 the waiting game for Vere, and he felt certain of being 
 able to save her from Wasserufer ; for, after all, the
 
 212 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 couple were as much in his hands as he in theirs. 
 Diane, especially, would not risk offending him. She 
 was attached to him with the terrible fixity of the 
 ageing woman who, late in life, has found herself 
 capable of attracting the desired man. 
 
 Gilles saw red when he thought of Coverley, who 
 had for a long time been a thorn in his side, being the 
 one subject whom, in spite of exceptional effort, he 
 had been unable to subdue. 
 
 He had been seriously anxious to get hold of this 
 Englishman, whose ability he fully recognised ; to 
 have him as a partner who would make his own 
 medical practice secure. He had believed himself on 
 the way to success. He was breaking Ned to his 
 designs soon would have him in his hands when 
 Hardcastle stepped in ; and suddenly his patient had 
 slipped through his fingers. Fiercely he fought to 
 regain ascendancy, but in vain. The struggle went on 
 for weeks, and left Ned exhausted but triumphant. 
 
 This was bad enough ; but that the same man 
 should reach forth his hand and take the One Girl ! 
 . . . That was unspeakable, and there was murder in 
 the heart of the thwarted lover. 
 
 In this he knew that Wasserufer would aid and abet 
 him, and for much the same reasons as those which 
 swayed himself. Coverley was in the way of both of 
 them. 
 
 When the ball was at last over and the guests were 
 packing into their cars in the small hours for the home- 
 ward journey, he found that he had been outmanoeuvred. 
 Billie was driving his own car, Jo beside him, and in 
 the back Vere was sitting, with Coverley beside her. 
 Emberson, the Armitage chauffeur, was seated beside 
 Branting on the front seat of the castle car. 
 
 " The young ones wanted to go back all together,"
 
 THE DRIVE HOME 213 
 
 said Diane with malice, as Gilles got in and sat down 
 facing her. 
 
 " Why on earth should Coverley want to come up 
 to the chateau at this time of night, or morning ? " 
 
 " Better ask him. Probably because he cannot tear 
 himself away from his lady love." 
 
 "Is it announced ? " asked Gilles a trifle huskily, 
 as the Armitage car vanished, swallowed up in the 
 night. 
 
 " Not in words," laughed Diane, snuggling against 
 her husband. " Bit chilly to-night, isn't it, Loo ? " 
 
 " Shouldn't wonder if they have gone off down to 
 Geneva. Given you the slip," commented GiUes 
 cuttingly. 
 
 " I don't think so. Why should they ? " 
 
 " Then are you putting up Coverley for what remains 
 of the night ? " 
 
 " There's a room he could have," replied Diane 
 languidly, "if he wants it." 
 
 Gilles opened his mouth to speak and thought 
 better of it. It was filling Diane with delight to 
 watch his sufferings. He decided that at whatever cost 
 to himself, she should have nothing to watch. 
 
 Carelessly he lit a cigarette and Diane seemed to 
 drop off to sleep with her sleek black head on Luit- 
 pold's ample shoulder. 
 
 There were several cars getting away at the same 
 time as their own, and the Armitages' fast racer had 
 a considerable start. They did not see it again until 
 they reached, at the farther end of Sannetier village, 
 the stable entrance of the Hotel des Erables, where 
 Billie garaged his car. Here Branting stopped, as if 
 at an agreed signal, and Emberson got down. At the 
 same moment there were murmurs and subdued 
 laughter as Vere and Jo appeared at the door of the
 
 214 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 castle car and scrambled in, Jo taking the seat next 
 Gilles, and Vere nestling herself down between her 
 aunt and uncle. Billie could be seen seating himself 
 next Branting, and off they went, Jo gaily explaining 
 that Emberson was running Ned Coverley back to the 
 " Charmant." 
 
 " What should make him drive up with you at this 
 unholy hour ? " asked Diane. 
 
 " I wonder," chimed in Uncle Loo roguishly. 
 
 " Oh, he was hot he said the drive would cool 
 him," replied Vere airily. " And now, Uncle Loo, 
 please, I want you to praise me I want you to pay 
 me the most extravagant compliments for my dancing 
 wasn't it wonderful ? Were you not proud of me ? 
 No, but seriously, I do hope you thought that dance 
 was pretty ? Do say you did." 
 
 " If I were to say all I thought, nieceling, I might 
 surprise you! " 
 
 Evidently Vere was in wild spirits, she rattled on : 
 " Think of it ! I wonder what they would say at 
 home in Mitchingham if they heard ! If they could 
 see me, joining with the elite the pick of society here ! 
 Oh, Pat Beresford is such a darling boy doesn't he 
 dance like a breeze? Well, well! just think what 
 comes of being the niece of a Baroness ! When I go 
 back home I shall have to wear a little label pinned to 
 my frock : ' This is the niece of a baroness ' ! " 
 
 " Go on, Vere, one is beginning to find out the sort 
 of girl you really are ! " snorted Jo. 
 
 " Also the intimate friend of the wife of a ' lord ' \ " 
 rattled on Vere unmoved. " Think of it ! And more- 
 over the aristocracy have taken quite a fancy to me ! 
 I can tell that, because they've asked me to go and 
 stay with them again did you know, Aunt Diane ? 
 Oh, you will let me go, won't you ? Because our little
 
 THE DRIVE HOME 215 
 
 lot want to give that balloon dance once more, at the 
 Spanish legation." 
 
 " Ah," thought Gilles, " I thought so! Very well 
 done, Miss Vere, but you can't deceive me ! " Aloud 
 he remarked : " No need for you to stay in Geneva in 
 order to take part in the dance. You can easily drive 
 down and back the same night." 
 
 " Hallo! Have you awakened ? " said she, with a 
 characteristic wicked little impertinence which she 
 might have spared the tortured man. " I thought if 
 I chattered enough I should presently goad you into 
 contradicting me! ' 
 
 " You left out your chief asset, in the list you just 
 now so kindly gave us of your claims to distinction," 
 he remarked, leaning forward and speaking distinctly. 
 " Something far more likely to make a celebrity of you 
 than being at a fashionable dance you are the chosen 
 medium of the greatest psycho-analyst in Switzerland 
 which is saying a good deal." 
 
 She burst into fresh hilarity. " Shall we give them 
 a demonstration now, Gilles ? " 
 
 " Oh, Vere," said Diane pettishly, " do hold your 
 tongue, it's like a bell-clapper. We're all tired." 
 
 " I'm not a bit," denied the girl, with a great sigh ; 
 but she relapsed into silence ; and Uncle Loo put his 
 arm round her with an excess of affection and a fixity of 
 intent which almost drove Raumont wild. 
 
 Billie Armitage, when he at last came up to bed, had 
 news to give Jo. 
 
 " So you see," said he, when he had completed his 
 confidence, " we simply can't take Vere with us to- 
 morrow. I'm sorry, but we can't. My duty is first 
 and last and all the time to Raoul, and Vere must take
 
 2l6 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 her chance here for another eight-and-forty hours. 
 Oh, she's safe enough. They daren't misbehave 
 themselves with all of us about ; but my advice to her 
 would be to give out her engagement. Of course, it 
 can't be made public until she has her father's consent ; 
 but I suppose her aunt has a right to know it might 
 justifiably feel hurt at not being told ; and it will give 
 Ned good reason to come up to the chateau perpetually 
 or to ask her down to the hotel ; and if he brings 
 Hardcastle with him there can't be any danger." 
 
 " N no," agreed Jo, " probably there isn't ; but I 
 should feel happier if Vere were out of this. I am 
 conscious of a kind of under- tow that I don't quite 
 understand, and old Wasserufer gives me the horrors. 
 He was cuddling her in the most sickening way as we 
 drove that little bit up to the castle just now. He 
 won't like to hear of her being engaged. I feel sure 
 they got her out here for their own purposes and 
 somehow they make me creep, Bill ! " 
 
 Bill, seated on his bed barefoot and pyjama-clad, 
 looked worried. Then he said slowly : " Do you know, 
 Jo, I'm rather thinking of trailing my coat." 
 
 " As how ? " Jo turned from her dressing-table 
 eagerly. 
 
 " Well, I feel very much inclined to give them a lead. 
 If I were to say, for instance, that we have to meet 
 Kilistrian friends at the steamer pier at a given time 
 or or ah, well, perhaps it's too dangerous. An 
 explosion in a public place is bound to cause loss of life. 
 Too risky ; but I'd hand over a quarter's salary to 
 know if they did give the signal for the dropping of that 
 bomb ! " 
 
 Jo pondered. " No, it wouldn't do ; in any meeting- 
 place that you could think of there would be people 
 about, and somebody is bound to get hurt ; and and
 
 THE DRIVE HOME 217 
 
 I suppose you couldn't leave me here to-morrow, to 
 keep Vere company, while you go and ?" 
 
 Bill said sharply, " No, that's out of the question. 
 If Paula is with Raoul, it would be utterly out of order 
 for you not to be in attendance on her." 
 
 " And that's why you don't want me to stay here ? 
 The only reason ? You don't think I should be in any 
 danger if I stayed without you ? ' 
 
 He looked annoyed. " My dear Jo, don't let your 
 fancy run away with you. Look at the thing ration- 
 ally. We suspect the Wasserufers of being up to some 
 political intrigue. We also suspect them of having 
 used Vere to obtain information from us. But we don't 
 suspect them of being wholesale murderers. They may 
 have wanted to kill Raoul. If what Vere told Ned is 
 right, and he seems positive it is, they do want to ; 
 but that's what they call politics. I can't see why 
 they should have evil designs on you or me or Vere 
 all three of us people who may quite conceivably be of 
 use to them hereafter." 
 
 " Vere thinks they want to get rid of Ned, because 
 he knows about their secret cavern." 
 
 " I've thought that out and I think it's a mare's 
 nest," said Bill resolutely. " As I've told you before, 
 such a thing as a 'plane down there is wildly impos- 
 sible. Raumont may have it in for Ned for walking off 
 with his promising little medium I think that's quite 
 likely. If I were Ned I should be wary about oubli- 
 ettes and things of that kind ; but what harm it can 
 possibly do them, even if Ned does know about the 
 cavern, I can't see. Raumont may have been trying 
 to frighten Vere, with the object of keeping her from 
 his rival ; but that she, Vere, is not safe here, with her 
 mother's aunt in charge of her, seems to me a bit far- 
 fetched what ? "
 
 2l8 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Sounds so, as you put it," murmured Jo doubt- 
 fully, " and yet " 
 
 " A wife convinced against her will, is of the same 
 opinion still eh ? Come to bye-bye, old thing." 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII LEFT ALONE 
 
 IT was fully daylight before Vere sank at last to sleep. 
 Her heart was too full, her senses too excited, for rest 
 to be possible. She had not in the least foreseen what 
 an overwhelming thing love is when love comes in 
 force. 
 
 She had had fancies, and young men had made love 
 to her before ; but Ned stood in a class by himself. 
 She had no idea why he could make her feel in this 
 tremendous way. He was not particularly handsome, 
 though he was presentable and had wonderful eyes ; 
 nor was he particularly rich, though he told her he 
 intended to be, now that he had something to work 
 for. He was not famous nor of high rank. He was 
 just Ned ; and for some inscrutable reason, his voice 
 saying her name, his hand touching her own, his eyes 
 looking into hers, could set racing every pulse she had. 
 
 She was accustomed to think of love scornfully as of 
 something sickly, sentimental, treacly-sweet. Instead 
 of that, it was a mad torrent, a raging wind, an ava- 
 lanche, sweeping her away. Was it possible that poor 
 Gilles felt for her what she now felt for Ned ? If so, 
 she could pity him. 
 
 Nothing namby-pamby about Love. Merely it is 
 autocratic, despotic. It fills all the house of life, to 
 the exclusion of every other quality, mental or phy- 
 sical. . . . She and the pre-destined mate had met.
 
 LEFT ALONE 2IQ 
 
 There had been times twice since she left school 
 when she had been tempted to become engaged to some 
 mediocre lad who said he was " sweet on her " ; merely 
 for the sake of being of some importance, of getting 
 away from home, of finding a place in the world. In 
 both cases the knowledge that she would have to accept 
 the company of the lad in question for life, had 
 frightened her off it. 
 
 And now the mere supposition that she and Ned 
 could ever be parted, was anguish ! 
 
 Would Gilles suffer the same anguish when he knew ? 
 But she felt sure he knew already. With a pang of 
 sympathy she decided to be very patient with him. 
 
 The arrangement was that she and the Armitages 
 should set out in the car after dejeuner the following 
 day, picking up Ned at the " Charmant " on their way 
 down. On arrival at Geneva, the engaged pair would 
 proceed to seek for a ring, such as he would consider 
 worthy of her ; later in the day, Ned was to be host at 
 a dinner in a hotel ; a feast to which Hardcastle, Billie 
 and Jo were also bidden. The Padre had promised to 
 ascertain the earliest date at which they could be 
 married. Vere did not think her father would insist 
 upon her returning home for the occasion. He would 
 probably prefer it if Ned brought her back as his wife. 
 
 His wife ! . . . Oh, Ned ! ... It all seemed too 
 good to be true. 
 
 She succumbed at last to mere physical fatigue, and 
 fell asleep with a smile on her face and a thrill of 
 ecstasy. 
 
 She had told Zelie not to bring her coffee and roll 
 until ten o'clock ; but she was awakened before eight 
 by an arm thrown lightly across her shoulders, and 
 Jo's voice whispering, " Don't make any noise ? 
 Just wake up take your own time."
 
 220 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Vere struggled through vapouring clouds of slumber 
 and shook herself free of dreams at last. " Anything 
 wrong ? " she whispered as she sat up and pushed her 
 hair off her face. 
 
 " No," replied Jo softly, " nothing wrong. Only 
 I've something to say to you, and I don't want to be 
 disturbed." 
 
 Vere noticed that she was dressed for travelling. 
 " Want me to get up ? " she whispered. 
 
 " No. Stay as you are. I don't think anybody 
 heard me come, I'm wearing bedroom slippers but 
 had I better make sure the bath-room is empty ? " 
 
 " I'll do that, in case you might be seen." 
 
 Slipping from the great bed, Vere stole to the bath- 
 room door which, as has been said, could be opened 
 without noise. Under it was a substantial wedge, one 
 of those which have teeth below to bite the carpet. 
 Ned had given it to her over night. Withdrawing it 
 carefully, she peeped into the bath-room, but no one 
 was there, and the opposite door into Diane's room was 
 closed. 
 
 Returning, she replaced the wedge, so that the door 
 could not be pushed even a crack ajar, crossed the 
 room, turned the key in the other door leading to the 
 landing, and jumped back into bed. 
 
 " First of all," murmured Jo, curling up on the quilt, 
 " let me say that I think you ought to lock your door 
 at night before you go to sleep, child." 
 
 " I know. I always do," avowed Vere shame- 
 facedly, " but I forgot last night, or rather this morn- 
 ing. I was so full of other things and it seemed so 
 impossible that any thing or anyone could harm me 
 now." 
 
 Jo smiled in sympathy. " Don't be foolhardy," 
 said she, " and on the other hand, don't panic. The
 
 LEFT ALONE 221 
 
 first thing I want to remind you of is the memorandum 
 which you promised, when hi your supposed trance, to 
 leave between the pages of some book ! " 
 
 " Oh bother ! I forgot all about it ! " 
 
 " Listen, Vere, it's important. If you don't put it 
 there, they must infer something wrong. Will you 
 write it now, at my dictation ? " 
 
 " Oh, good work ! " replied the girl eagerly, sitting 
 up in bed while Jo brought pencil and paper from the 
 table." 
 
 " Billie and Jo," she dictated, "have gone off early 
 to make arrangements to meet an Important Visitor, 
 who is to arrive to-morrow at Geneva, and travel on 
 westward in a closed touring car, which will pass 
 Veyrier station about noon, on the St. Julian road." 
 
 Vere wrote out this information carefully, Jo brought 
 the " Scientific Basis of the Sub-Conscious " and it 
 was duly slipped between the leaves. 
 
 " To mislead, I gather ? " she asked, as Jo 
 returned. 
 
 " Yes. And now, my dear, I want you to listen 
 carefully. Bill and I have had to change plans quickly. 
 We must be off in ten minutes, and we are not taking 
 you with us." 
 
 " Not ? " asked Vere quickly ; and there was a leap 
 of fear in her heart. 
 
 " No. We can't. We absolutely can't. As you 
 know, Bill is not his own master. . . . you saw once a 
 thing you were not meant to see, and the consequences 
 might have been fatal. Now, the less you see, the less 
 you know, the safer you are. You realise that ? " 
 
 ' Yes, but " 
 
 " What we shall do is to meet Ned and send him up 
 here to you I mean, we shall stop at the ' Charmant ' 
 on our way down and tell him of our changed plans.
 
 222 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 He may be able to devise some scheme to take you 
 down to the hotel to-night ; but there is one thing Bill 
 says you ought to do at once. You must tell your aunt 
 of your engagement." 
 
 " Oh, do you think so ? " 
 
 " Bill is quite sure you ought. She might justly be 
 vexed at having such a thing kept from her, and it 
 would be a grave mistake to give her genuine cause 
 for displeasure. You are in her charge, are you 
 not ? " 
 
 " Yes, but but Gilles " 
 
 " What can Gilles do ? Think it over calmly. 
 The Baronne has a character to lose. Everyone 
 knows that you are her niece, she is bound to see that 
 you are safe, isn't she ? " 
 
 " Yes," mused Vere doubtfully ; adding, after re- 
 flection, " She might be pleased, for aught I know. 
 She is terribly jealous of Gilles, and she thinks he is 
 sweet on me." 
 
 " Just so. Tell her that you are engaged to Ned, and 
 that you don't want it talked about until you have 
 announced it to your father and received his reply. 
 Would it be of any use to ask her to keep the fact from 
 Raumont ? " 
 
 " I don't think so. She would be sure to tell him 
 to gloat over him " 
 
 " Now, Vere, tell me truly you are certain in your 
 own mind that it is Ned you love and not Raumont ? " 
 
 Vere emitted a small contemptuous laugh. Her 
 eyes seemed to mist over with a tenderness Jo had 
 never previously seen in them. " It's Ned all right," 
 was what she said with her tongue ; but her voice 
 spoke volumes. 
 
 Jo gave her a little hug. " Vere, it's wonderful, and 
 you don't know how glad Bill and I are. He always
 
 LEFT ALONE 223 
 
 liked the doctor, and thought he was going to make a 
 name for himself. It was a real grief to him when 
 Ned's nerves crashed. Now I feel certain that he will 
 have a future as we hoped ; and it is you who have 
 rescued him. To fall deep in love with the right 
 woman was the only thing he needed " 
 
 " Ah, Jo, if only I am the right woman! I feel a 
 little bit of fluff when I think of Ned ! Am I strong 
 enough ? " 
 
 " You were strong enough to dupe these conspirators 
 at their own game, and to get away with it! Gilles 
 may suspect he can't know you were pretending. 
 The information in this book may shake his doubts. 
 Oh yes, my dear, I think you're strong all right ; and 
 as for the kind of strength you haven't got Ned has 
 enough of that for two ! " 
 
 Vere chuckled. " I think he has. He makes me 
 feel so safe." 
 
 " Right you are ; and I believe you are safe, so long 
 as you take reasonable precautions, such as locking 
 yourself in at night. Raumont is an unscrupulous 
 man and he might start willing you to come to him in 
 his uncanny fashion ; for remember, he has quite 
 genuine pyschic powers, he's not an impostor." 
 
 " You're right, he's not ; and I'm afraid he really 
 is in love with me. I don't want to be the kind of 
 fool who always thinks every man that speaks kindly 
 to her wants to marry her ; marriage is probably very 
 far from his thoughts ; but he wants me, Jo. Not 
 only has he said so, but I feel it ; and until Ned came 
 and filled my heart, I could feel the pull of it, all the 
 time." 
 
 " And now ? " 
 
 " Now he doesn't seem to be of much consequence." 
 
 " Well, don't despise his powers. Be very wary.
 
 224 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Also I want you to be watchful, on our behalf. As 
 soon as you leave your room this morning, that bit of 
 writing is sure to be taken out of the book. I want 
 you to keep an eye on what they do when they've read 
 it. I mean, if they telephone, or if they send off 
 telegrams, or if they put up anything that looks like a 
 signal ; go and sit on the terrace all morning do you 
 have dejeuner at noon or half-past ? " 
 
 " Usually at noon." 
 
 " Then if for any reason they fix it half an hour later 
 to-day, stay there on the terrace if you possibly 
 can." 
 
 " Suppose they read it as to-morrow and not to-day ? 
 
 " Then the same thing applies to to-morrow. We 
 shall send for you to-morrow morning, or get Ned to 
 hire a car and bring you down. You're not nervous, 
 are you ? " 
 
 " No. As soon as Ned comes, I shall be all right. 
 
 I feel a little flurried at the thought of telling Aunt 
 
 Diane we're engaged ; but if Ned's here I shan't mind 
 
 . a bit. Send him up as quick as you can, please, Jo. 
 
 Tell him I'll be waiting for him by eleven o'clock." 
 
 " Right, I will ; and now I must evaporate at once 
 and leave you to it. Till to-morrow, my dear child ! " 
 
 They exchanged kisses and then Jo crept softly to 
 the door, which she unlocked, cautiously reconnoitring 
 to see that the passage was clear. Vere did not move, 
 leaving the door unlocked so that Zelie could bring in 
 her coffee. 
 
 Her thoughts were a little troubled. All had seemed 
 so fortunate, so well arranged. This day was to see 
 her clear of the chateau and the three people whom she 
 distrusted. The night before she had felt reckless 
 able to snap her fingers at them all, since she was to be 
 protected, free of them for always !
 
 THE FALSE MESSAGE 225 
 
 Now she wished she had been slightly more circum- 
 spect. The memory of a particularly objectionable 
 kiss to which Uncle Loo had treated her when they 
 parted for what remained of the night, dwelt uncom- 
 fortably in her memory. Gilles she could manage, 
 because Gilles cared ; but that old man. . . . 
 
 She shook herself free of vague dread. Ned was the 
 reality, Ned the bulwark of security. . . . 
 
 . . . and then there passed through her mind the 
 thought that Ned himself was in danger. He was to 
 come here here to the She- Wolf's Throat ominous 
 name ! 
 
 Her youth and her new-born passion combined to 
 help her to fling off such thoughts. Bill and Jo would 
 not have left her had they thought her in danger ; 
 yet she wished with all her heart that the coming 
 twenty-four hours were behind rather than before her. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII THE FALSE MESSAGE 
 
 HAVING determined that she would await Ned's 
 appearance before making her announcement to her 
 aunt, Vere was up and dressed before eleven and 
 wandered off down the steep bit of the ascent to 
 watch for her lover's coming. 
 
 He was even then in sight, and Hardcastle was 
 with him. Unseen herself, Vere watched them come 
 a couple of upstanding, determined-looking English- 
 men, walking with the rhythm and swing of those 
 acquainted with physical drill. Even from a distance 
 the expression of Ned's face could be seen the 
 eagerness, the fire, and the touch of anxiety until he 
 should see her and know her safe.
 
 226 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 They met, in the presence of a third person, quietly. 
 The eyes of each seemed to question the other " It's 
 really true ? Not merely a passing bit of emotion ? " 
 After greeting Hardcastle cordially : 
 
 " Ned," said the girl as he drew her hand within 
 his arm and they turned slowly to the ascent, " Jo thinks 
 we ought to tell Aunt Diane how things are at once." 
 
 " She's quite right ; Charles has been telling me 
 the same thing. Don't let us put ourselves in the 
 wrong, whatever we do." 
 
 " Very well ! Come and get it over ! " she laughed, 
 " and then perhaps we'll have a four at tennis, Gilles 
 usually likes to play." 
 
 As they entered the gateway the Baronne was 
 descending the steps from the castle door somewhat 
 hurriedly. " Ah," she cried as she caught sight of 
 the party, " come here, Vere, my dear, I wish to 
 speak with you 
 
 " And we want to speak to you, Madame la Baronne," 
 said Ned promptly. " Let me make my confession 
 before you say anything to Vere it won't take a 
 minute, and I don't fancy it will be such a great surprise 
 to you if the truth were known ! It's just that last 
 night I asked Vere to marry me, and she says she will." 
 
 A smile, which Vere could have sworn was sincere, 
 lit up the face of Diane. Tossing her sunshade on a 
 table, she held out both hands, one to each. " My 
 dear children ! This is good news to me ! Dr. 
 Coverley, since my Vere came to me I have discovered 
 that in her the English part is the stronger. She 
 should marry an Englishman an English gentleman 
 and you are that. I say nothing of the finance 
 part Luitpold shall 'put you through it/ as you say, you 
 young ones but I do hope you can keep your wife ? " 
 
 " I can keep her," he replied at once, "and I shall
 
 THE FALSE MESSAGE 227 
 
 be able to do so better in the future, as I come into 
 the family property on my uncle's death not a large 
 property, but, I think, sufficient." 
 
 " Then this girl is much to be congratulated, she 
 has done well. I ought to tell you she has at present 
 no ' dot.' When her father dies, she comes into her 
 mother's little fortune, about four hundred a year ; 
 but he may live another thirty years ! Well, well ! 
 Admit that I showed intelligence that memorable 
 evening when I insisted upon digging you out of 
 your corner and making you dance with the child ! " 
 
 " I shall never forget it, Baronne, I assure you. 
 I shall always be grateful to you." 
 
 " Well, now," went on Diane conversationally, but 
 her glance, Vere noticed, flashed round as if to make 
 certain that no one else was about, " I must own to 
 you all that I am a little inconvenienced by Lady 
 Billie's sudden change of plans. As you may have 
 heard, Vere was to be their guest, and they were 
 taking her off to-day a great convenience to me, as 
 I have to go to Bonneville at once to see an old friend ; 
 and just now they ring me up to say she is worse. 
 But, since Vere is your fiancee, it will be quite con- 
 venable, will it not, if you take her out for the day ? " 
 
 " Oh, quite ! " burst out the delighted Ned eagerly. 
 
 " Then I entrust her to your care until the evening, 
 when you will bring her back and, I hope, dine with 
 us. Then " with the kindest of smiles " we can 
 discuss the wedding." 
 
 " That is simply splendid, Baronne. I'll take the 
 greatest care of Vere ' 
 
 "I'm sure of that. Now, Branting has the car 
 ready, he can run you all three down to the ' Charmant,' 
 if you are quick, and come back for me and Luitpold, 
 as I'm not yet quite ready to start "
 
 228 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Ned looked at his watch. " Thanks awfully ; we 
 really want to go down to Geneva, shopping, don't we, 
 Vere ? But there isn't a train that way for three- 
 quarters of an hour fifty minutes, in fact. So we'll 
 accept your kind offer." 
 
 " I should think you'd rather not be in a town all 
 day," smiled Diane. " Surely the mountain-side 
 would be more to your taste ? Oh, but I forgot ! 
 Young lovers no longer desire solitude, do they ? 
 Solitude is ' sloppy ' eh, Vere ? Run along, child, 
 be quick, no time to lose, and don't wait to change." 
 
 " I should think not, you look stunning, Vere," 
 said Ned in that half-teasing voice that moved her so 
 unaccountably. 
 
 She could hear Diane saying to him that she did 
 not like to leave Vere alone all day and that Gilles 
 had been obliged to go to Lausanne. She flew up- 
 stairs, the knowledge of Gilles' absence completing her 
 satisfaction. She ran into her bedroom, where all 
 was still as she had left it. Zelie had not yet come 
 in to make the bed. 
 
 Carefully closing the door, Vere selected a hat and 
 so on with unwonted care. Then, pausing to listen 
 to the murmur of voices still flowing on below, she 
 went to the bath-room, made sure no one was there, 
 and crept back to the centre table. 
 
 There lay " The Scientific Basis of the Sub- 
 conscious," but the paper she had so recently placed 
 between its pages was gone. 
 
 All in a moment the reason for her being bundled 
 off so suddenly was clear ; and she descended the 
 stairs far more slowly than she had ascended them, 
 her mind full of surmise. The sick friend, and Gilles' 
 errand to Lausanne how much truth was there in 
 these stories ? and if, as seemed certain, they were
 
 THE FALSE MESSAGE 
 
 all going off in various directions, whither were they 
 bound in reality ? 
 
 She guessed that the message dictated to her by Jo 
 was a " plant " of some kind, meant to draw the 
 enemy's fire. Something was going to happen. . . . 
 
 She rejoined the group on the terrace. Aunt Diane 
 was offering the two men a drink, which they politely 
 declined. She did not press it, being unable wholly 
 to disguise her anxiety to be rid of them. 
 
 The moment Vere reappeared, she kissed the girl 
 in absent-minded fashion, with a murmur of " Mille 
 felicitations ! " and waved them out of the gateway, 
 to await the emerging of the car from the garage. 
 
 As they stood there the door which led down to 
 the wine-cellar from the yard, and which was within 
 their purview, opened slowly and Stein emerged from 
 it, bearing a covered bucket in his hand. Seeing 
 them, he stopped short, set down what he carried 
 and glared upon them, shading his eyes with his 
 hand. He then stepped back to the half-shut door 
 and growled something which sounded like : 
 
 " Wart' nur " as though to someone within. 
 
 Then he moved a few steps nearer and continued 
 his survey of the two men ; after a moment he re- 
 marked, in his ugly French (Alsatian, according to 
 Aunt Diane) : 
 
 " I have seen both these gentlemen before." 
 
 " You have," said Hardcastle in friendly tones. 
 " We^came up here when the chateau was empty and 
 wanted to see over it, did we not ? " 
 
 He grunted an acquiescence. " And what are you 
 doing up here to-day ? " he inquired rudely. 
 
 " I came to see Miss Merton," replied Ned, 
 smiling. 
 
 " So the young lady is your friend " began the
 
 230 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 old man in tones meant to be sarcastic. " I always 
 thought she was " 
 
 What he thought did not reach their ears, for at the 
 moment Branting drove out the car and stopped, 
 leaning sideways and opening the door for them to 
 get in. 
 
 There was a puzzled, half-scared look on Stein's 
 face, as though (as Hardcastle remarked) he realised 
 that he had " dropped a brick." He stood back and 
 gazed after the car as it disappeared down the steep 
 slope. Then, with sudden energy, he ran round to the 
 front of the castle, crying out, " Madame ! Madame ! " 
 
 Diane, who had gone indoors, came out again at 
 his cry. 
 
 " Madame, is it known to you that the two men 
 who have just left in your car are the same two who 
 came prowling round when the place was empty, 
 wanting to hunt about ? I swear to you that I am 
 certain they had been before, and that it was they 
 who forced the catch on the pantry window and got 
 in. They had been down to the cavern we know 
 that, because they forgot to put up the bars on the 
 door of the small vestibule before leaving." 
 
 " You recognised both of them, Stein ? " asked 
 Diane quickly. 
 
 " Both of them, Madame la Baronne. Take my 
 word for it, they are police spies, the one and the 
 other." 
 
 " Oh, that's nonsense, Stein," was Diane's sharp 
 rejoinder. " We know both well, who they are, and 
 all about them. One is an English padre and the 
 other is to marry my niece. If you're sure that they 
 are the two who came here that day " 
 
 " Madame, they admit it " 
 
 " Then that is a relief to my mind. They are
 
 THE FALSE MESSAGE 231 
 
 quite harmless, both of them. I hope you were not 
 rude to them ? " she added searchingly. 
 
 Stein hesitated, clenched his hands. " It's not only 
 your skin that's in danger ours also," he growled as 
 he turned away. 
 
 " So that's that," said the voice of Gilles just be- 
 hind Diane as she turned to go back to the house. 
 " All right, Stein, you can go ; I heard what passed 
 between you and Madame ; but remember, my 
 friend, nothing is so likely to arouse suspicion as 
 rudeness to strangers." 
 
 Stein, still growling, turned and slouched away. 
 " So Loo was right," observed Gilles lightly ; " no use 
 to dispose of Coverley and leave his friend behind." 
 
 Standing on the steps, Diane turned her face up 
 to him, alive with malicious glee. " It doesn't 
 matter," said she, " it doesn't matter one little bit 
 do you know why ? They are engaged, those two. 
 They have just confessed it to the kind aunt, who 
 joyfully offered her congratulations." 
 
 Raumont turned perfectly white. Though he had 
 practically known it, the blow was nevertheless over 
 the heart. 
 
 " You tell me this now ? " 
 
 He came close up to Diane, his wild-beast eyes 
 flaming into hers. That one word "now" brought 
 the jealous woman to her senses. Everything at this 
 moment depended upon Gilles upon his skill, his 
 self-possession, his coolness, his heart-whole interest 
 in what he was about to do. Diane gasped. 
 
 " Gilles what what does it matter ? You don't 
 really mind ? " she stammered ; and his laugh sent 
 a shudder of real fear through her. 
 
 " On the contrary, I am glad to know it," he said. 
 " In return, I have news for you. Coverley will
 
 232 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 never marry Vere, for the good reason that I want 
 her, and I mean to have her in spite of all your plots 
 against me. We shall see who is the stronger you 
 or I " 
 
 She turned as pale as he. Terror was mingled with 
 the fury of her jealousy. " You daren't ! You can't ! 
 You shall not harm her! Look at her value to 
 us ! " 
 
 He smiled contemptuously at her. " Just so. She's 
 far too valuable to lose. I mean to have her if I wait 
 ten years. I can wait but Vere is going to be mine, 
 so make up your mind to that." 
 
 There rushed to the stricken woman's lips a torrent 
 of reproaches, of pleas, of agonised entreaty. But 
 she dare not voice them. Not then. Gilles had the 
 whip-hand, and she knew it. 
 
 " So now I'll leave you," said his mocking voice, 
 " and if my hand should shake, or my eye grow dim 
 at the critical moment, you will have all the satis- 
 faction of knowing that it was your own fault ; that, 
 to gratify your paltry envy of something young and 
 exquisite, you flung away your chances of a princely 
 fortune Loo's chances too. He'll find that hard to 
 forgive." 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX THE SECOND ATTEMPT 
 
 ON the way down to the hotel it seemed to Hardcastle 
 that Vere's high spirits were a trifle forced. He 
 accounted for this to himself by the thought that 
 her betrothal was too recent for her to be quite at 
 ease with so reticent a person as Ned. The latter 
 was suggesting that they should take the next train
 
 THE SECOND ATTEMPT 233 
 
 from the station below Sannetier a station just 
 opposite the " Charmant " and wait for dejeuner until 
 they reached Geneva. For some reason Charles could 
 not fathom, she utterly refused to entertain the idea, 
 saying that she would far rather have dejeuner at the 
 hotel and go for a walk afterwards. 
 
 Branting speedily deposited them at the door of the 
 " Charmant," received a lavish tip from the prospec- 
 tive bridegroom, and drove off. Vere then grasped 
 an elbow of each of the two men and said with a 
 complete change of tone : " Come along ! Some- 
 where where we can talk quietly ! I've something to 
 say ! " 
 
 " Is that it ? I sensed a hitch of sorts," remarked 
 Charles. " Sure you want me in on the discussion ? " 
 
 " Positive. But I couldn't say a word with Brant- 
 ing there. You notice how he has a kind of telephone 
 thing fixed on his ear ? He says it's because he's deaf 
 and can't hear what orders are given but it's so that 
 he can overhear every word we say. Now I can 
 talk. Ned, have you told Charles all about my 
 being hypnotised and made to write down that list 
 and have you also told him how I pretended to be 
 under control when I wasn't, and heard what they 
 said ? " 
 
 Charles had been told both these things, and was 
 eager to hear more. 
 
 " I don't see why the Armitages had to go and 
 leave you in the lurch," said Ned, somewhat dis- 
 satisfied. " Bill seems to think you are all right up 
 there he has no doubt the Wasserufers are wrong 
 'uns, but he is fairly sure they are fond of you in 
 their way. He doesn't think they want to hurt you, 
 and he believes the Baronne is keen on my marrying 
 you. Her reception of our news this morning inclines
 
 234 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 me to the notion that he's right. Raumont has been 
 unscrupulous in the use he has made of his psychic 
 power, but that I expected of him ; and he's certainly 
 not anxious to do anything that might bring him into 
 the limelight as a hypnotist taking unfair advantage 
 of his clients. When he knows that we're engaged, 
 and going to be married the first possible chance we 
 get, it seems to me that he'll subside all right." 
 
 " Yes," replied Vere, " I devoutly hope so, but I 
 haven't told you everything yet. When I pretended 
 to be in a trance, two days ago, Gilles laid a command 
 on me to write down anything the Armitages told me, 
 about about the king. Jo reminded me that, if I 
 didn't, they would at once become suspicious and 
 think the spell hadn't worked. So she dictated a 
 message and I wrote it ; and and they've got it. 
 I mean it's gone from the place where I put it." 
 
 " What was it ? " they simultaneously begged to 
 know. 
 
 " It was to say that a Very Important Person would 
 travel through Geneva going westwards, and that a 
 closed touring car would pass along the road by the 
 Veyrier terminus going to St. Julien at about noon. 
 I said to-morrow but as I am supposed to have 
 written it in the early hours of this morning, it might 
 be taken to mean either to-day or to-morrow." 
 
 " H'm ! " mused Ned, his chin on his hands, " the 
 road to the west of Veyrier is more or less desolate, 
 isn't it ? A bomb might be dropped there without 
 doing much harm. I suppose Bill is going to test it. 
 If he sends along a dummy car " 
 
 " Ned I He can't mean to murder a poor chauffeur 
 just for a test ! " 
 
 " Certainly not ; but that might be got over, I 
 expect. H'm ! H'm ! When I suggested the chateau
 
 THE SECOND ATTEMPT 235 
 
 as the source of the last bomb, old Bill laughed me 
 to scorn. Wonder if he's found out anything ? I tell 
 you what we'll do ! Ask for some lunch, and take it 
 out somewhere on the mountain where we can look 
 down on the Veyrier road." 
 
 " There's nowhere that you can do that, except 
 from the chateau terrace." 
 
 " Isn't there, by Jove ! but I know a place, just 
 above the railway tunnel. Come on, don't let us lose 
 a minute, it's half-past eleven and the train just due 
 let's rush for it, and buy some food in Sannetier, 
 shall we ? " 
 
 Without waiting a moment they were on their feet, 
 and had hastened out of the hotel when Ned paused. 
 " As you were," he said thoughtfully. " What about 
 that alibi of the Baronne's ? She's going to visit the 
 sick in Bonneville, isn't she ? And Branting has gone 
 up to fetch her and Wasserufer. I think we ought 
 to go to the high road and see them pass make sure 
 they're off what ? " 
 
 " Why," inquired Charles, " what difference will it 
 make if they have gone ? " 
 
 " We might go to the chateau and reconnoitre," was 
 the calm reply. " If they are not there, who's to 
 prevent us ? " 
 
 " They said," put in Vere, " that Gilles had gone to 
 Lausanne. He usually does on a Wednesday." 
 
 " What price old Stein ? He'll make himself nasty." 
 suggested Hardcastle. 
 
 " He can't warn us off the premises," replied Ned 
 cheerfully, " not if he knows I'm Vere's intended ; 
 and he can't follow us round if we go indoors ; at 
 least, if he seems at all belligerent, I shall have to 
 deal with him." 
 
 " All right. Then we go to the road, hide, and
 
 236 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 watch to see if the car goes by with Madame and 
 old Wasserufer inside. We shall miss the train, but 
 we can trudge afoot to Sannetier, buy some food and 
 eat it on the mountain-side. Then go on to the 
 chateau and reconnoitre. But this looks as if I were 
 going to spoil all your day, you two," said Charles 
 doubtfully. 
 
 " See here, Charles. This is serious. Vere and I 
 hope to have all our future in which to make love ; 
 but if we are not jolly careful, we may have no future 
 of any kind. I think we had better see what we can 
 do in this matter ; and two men are better than one 
 if it comes to a scrap." 
 
 Thus arguing and discussing, they came to the place 
 at which the private road to the hotel debouches on 
 the main road to Sannetier-aux-Erables. There were 
 plenty of bushes there, and no one about, so they took 
 cover as casually as they could. 
 
 They had not waited two minutes when they heard 
 the castle car approaching, and presently it passed, 
 slowly enough for them to see the lady within lean 
 forward, speaking to Branting, who signed with his 
 hand that he had heard what she said. 
 
 As the Baronne leaned forward, the bald head of her 
 husband could be descried beyond her. 
 
 " So that's that," observed Ned as they rose from 
 ambush. "What a nuisance that train's gone! 
 Hallo, here comes old Colonel Martin with his car ; 
 I wonder if he'd give us a lift he's going upward." 
 
 On being signalled, the Colonel slowed down and 
 gladly invited them to join him. 
 
 " Only as far as Sannetier," explained Ned, " then 
 we take to the hills but we don't want to tire Miss 
 Merton first, and we were fools enough to miss the 
 train."
 
 THE SECOND ATTEMPT 237 
 
 In Sannetier village they bought a genuine gateau de 
 Savoie, a camp pie, a tin of fruit, rolls, butter and 
 cheese. Thus armed they proceeded to the place 
 Ned had in mind, actually arriving there three minutes 
 after noon. It was true, as Ned had maintained, that 
 the cluster of sheds which represented the Veyrier 
 terminus of the funicular railway was in clear sight, 
 lying below them in the valley as something very 
 small and insignificant. 
 
 " Wish we'd brought binoculars," sighed Charles. 
 
 Everything was uncannily still, with the great still- 
 ness which prevails during the hour of dejeuner. Not 
 a soul was to be seen moving in the road. The train 
 they had missed had arrived five minutes before, and 
 had been shunted into a long shed, so that its driver 
 and guard might have their meal in the shade. The 
 two or three passengers had crossed the road and 
 disappeared down the turning which leads to the 
 frontier and the tramway terminus for Geneva. 
 
 The picnic party were hungry, so they opened their 
 stores at once and began to eat. Also, being young 
 and in the highest spirits, they began to chatter. 
 Vere found herself curiously at ease with both these 
 men, and able to say what was in her mind with no 
 fear of being misunderstood. 
 
 " I don't expect, myself, that the King of Kilistria 
 is within miles of this place," was Ned's opinion; 
 " I am certain that Bill is just trailing his coat to try 
 and make the conspirators, if such there be, commit 
 themselves." 
 
 Vere shook her head. " I'm not at all sure. I 
 don't believe Bill and Jo would have left me behind 
 without urgent reason," she said thoughtfully. 
 
 " Isn't it all part of the same plan ? Their sudden 
 departure, their leaving you at d'Almier, their putting
 
 238 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 that information in the book isn't it all woven into 
 their design ? " asked Charles. 
 
 " What I would really like to know is, what reason 
 my aunt and her husband can possibly have for want- 
 ing to kill the King of Kilistria," mused Vere. 
 
 " I can tell you that," said Ned at once. " The King 
 of Kilistria is a thorn in the side of the Soviet. As 
 long as he is on the throne, he is so strong that he 
 stands in the way of all their schemes. In particular, 
 he is controlling oil-fields which would be worth millions 
 and would drop into their hands if he were dead. The 
 fact that his chief adviser is an Englishman and an 
 aristocrat intensifies the hatred. I have personally 
 very little doubt that Wasserufer is the hired assassin 
 of the Soviet, and that he would kill Lord Billie with 
 a wave of his hand if he could." 
 
 Vere exclaimed in horror. " But then Bill is not 
 safe at the chateau ? " 
 
 " Oh, yes, he is ; because if he met with any sus- 
 picious accident there, it would be all up with these 
 people. Of course there is little doubt they mean to 
 get him ultimately ; and I expect he knows that, 
 unless old Wasserufer can be convicted, his own 
 murder will be only a question of time ; but while 
 they are able to learn his plans through you, naturally 
 they let him alone. That was a subtle idea of Rau- 
 mont's. He's clever, all right." 
 
 " You mean his getting me to betray them without 
 my knowing it ? " 
 ' Yes." 
 
 " It's not a thing that's easy to forgive," said the 
 girl slowly. 
 
 " Forgiveness," observed Charles piously, "is a 
 Christian duty ; but if a man is proved untrust- 
 worthy, there is no commandment that I know of to
 
 THE SECOND ATTEMPT 239 
 
 prevent one's making use of one's knowledge about 
 him, to steer clear of him for the future." 
 
 The girl smiled, for the happy thought had trickled 
 through her mind that she now had a shield against 
 Gilles. With Ned at her side she felt buttressed 
 against all misfortune. 
 
 " One thing is certain," observed Charles suddenly, 
 " and that is that if there were a Moth 'plane hovering 
 anywhere about, we could see it clearly." 
 
 " What Moth 'plane could drop a shot on such 
 an infinitesimal object as a moving car ? " jeered 
 Ned. 
 
 " Here comes a car," murmured Vere a little breath- 
 lessly. 
 
 As she spoke something could be seen to move, 
 coming from Geneva, and to turn to its right along the 
 road to St. Julien. For a moment or two the railway 
 buildings hid it, but as it drew clear of the station 
 roofs they could see that it was a large closed touring 
 car. It was going very slowly, almost as if it meant 
 to stop ; and Ned muttered involuntarily, " You fool ! 
 Why don't you step on the gas ? " 
 
 Just after it came into full sight, and before it 
 reached the block of houses farther along the road 
 which would conceal it from view, something happened. 
 A sudden flash of light, looking very small to their 
 eyes, seemed to leap from the car and was followed 
 by a dense smoke ascending. A moment later a dull 
 detonation came to their ears, echoing to and fro 
 among the hills. At the same time the hill whereon 
 they sat was slightly shaken. 
 
 That was all. It looked so diminutive, so quiet . . . 
 but when the smoke cleared, the car was a tiny pile 
 of black wreckage, from which flames were leaping, 
 barely visible in the noon sunlight.
 
 240 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Figures began to appear in the road men running. 
 Several came from the station, many more from the 
 tramway terminus. They ran to and fro like ants 
 running across a garden path. The whole thing 
 seemed unreal. 
 
 " The bomb was in the car then," said the puzzled 
 voice of Charles. 
 
 " Looked like it," replied Ned incredulously. " The 
 question is what, or who else, was in it ? " 
 
 " Nobody at all," asserted Hardcastle firmly. " It 
 was running dead slow. The chauffeur slipped off as 
 it passed behind the station, so that he was out of 
 sight from this hill. The road is perfectly straight, 
 the car would keep its course until it reached that 
 block of buildings, where doubtless a man was stationed 
 to board it as it went by if it got past the danger- 
 point ; only it didn't." 
 
 "That's possible," returned Ned, "difficult, but 
 possible. But what has it demonstrated ? If the 
 bomb was inside the car timed to explode just here 
 who put it there ? " 
 
 " The answer to the whole thing is up there at the 
 castle, in my opinion," answered Hardcastle. " Look 
 at their carefully arranged alibis ! All three of 'em 
 away on urgent business ! " 
 
 " They are bringing water, to put out the fire," 
 Vere told them, as the railway men dragged out a 
 long black hose-pipe. 
 
 " If there was nobody in the car they are bound to 
 discover the fact. Had there been even one passenger 
 there would be some remains, however complete the 
 explosion. How will the emptiness of the car be 
 explained ? " 
 
 " The chauffeur will say that he jumped out of the 
 car at the station, thinking he had stopped it, and to
 
 THE TRAP 241 
 
 his horror, after fetching his parcel or whatever he 
 came to get, he found that it had run on." 
 
 " Not bad, Charles. The whole affair seems wrapped 
 in mystery ; but Bill will have ascertained beyond all 
 doubt where to look for the murderers." 
 
 CHAPTER XXX THE TRAP 
 
 " TAKE my advice," said Charles earnestly, " don't 
 go near the chateau until this evening, when you go 
 by invitation." 
 
 " Well but, Charles," objected Ned heatedly, " ought 
 we not to seize such a chance to go and spy out some- 
 thing while they're away ? " 
 
 " Are they away ? " said Vere doubtfully. Ned 
 turned and looked at her keenly. 
 
 " Why ? You think " 
 
 " I'm not sure. Could you swear it was Aunt 
 Diane in the car when it passed ? Might it have been 
 Frau Stein, wearing some of her mistress's clothes ? " 
 
 " Too far-fetched, Vere. You have plots on the 
 brain. What could the Baronne have been doing at 
 the chateau when that car was blown up down in the 
 valley ? Far more likely that she was genuinely 
 away, establishing an alibi, or signalling to some- 
 body " 
 
 " Then you believe that Gilles really went to 
 Lausanne ? " 
 
 " No, not to Lausanne, but to Geneva, or wherever 
 that car started from. He must have contrived 
 somehow to put a bomb under the seat " 
 
 " Steady on, Ned, that's far-fetched if you like," 
 smiled Charles. " Much more unlikely than what
 
 242 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Vere suggested, to my mind. Do you mean to tell 
 me you seriously think that those responsible for the 
 safety of royalty would be fools enough to put them 
 into a car without throwing out the bombs first ? " 
 
 " But there was a bomb in the car ; how do you 
 account for its being there ? " contended Coverley. 
 "Or do you think the bomb was placed in or under 
 the road for them to run over ? " 
 
 " I know what I think, though I suppose you'll 
 say I'm mad," cut in Vere. " The bomb was fired 
 from some kind of gun, and Gilles Raumont fired it." 
 
 " From the chateau ? " 
 
 " Yes. From that cavern of which you spoke, and 
 which you say is under the cellar." 
 
 " If that's so, our wildest speculations have fallen 
 short of the mark," mused Ned. " Yet it's just 
 possible. They only stole the information from your 
 book at eleven, and they brought off their coup at 
 twelve-thirty. Must have had easy access to their 
 explosives." 
 
 " Suppose we make a dash for it, straight back to 
 the ' Charmant,' " suggested Vere, " and ring up Billie ? 
 He supplied the news on which they acted, and of 
 course he knows all about it. You'll have to get him 
 at his office, though. I don't know their new number 
 at this flat they've taken ..." 
 
 " I believe that is really our wisest course," agreed 
 Hardcastle. " It would be a good thing for us to 
 know what has really happened. I should think there 
 would be now enough evidence on which to apply for 
 a search-warrant, though that's usually a matter of 
 some difficulty here on the frontier. I'm told the 
 jealousies between the French and Swiss police are 
 enough in themselves to jeopardise any pacific league." 
 
 " This," meditated Ned, following his own train of
 
 THE TRAP 243 
 
 thought, " this is the second time that Bill has fooled 
 them, and in both cases they have acted on informa- 
 tion obtained through Vere. I'm afraid they'll be 
 driven to suppose the Wasserufers, I mean that said 
 information was faked on both occasions." 
 
 " They will think," said Vere at once, " that Billie 
 intentionally gave me false information. They are not 
 likely to think I invented it ; and even if they did 
 think so, they can't say anything about it without 
 giving themselves away, since I, in my normal state, am 
 supposed to know nothing about the trance messages." 
 
 They discussed the matter from every point as they 
 hastened back to the hotel. When they arrived 
 there, Charles volunteered to do the telephoning, in 
 order that the lovers might take a stroll together 
 before tea. 
 
 Vere was longing to find herself alone with her 
 betrothed. To talk to him rationally, before a third 
 person, and upon extraneous topics, was a greater 
 strain than she would have believed possible. Her 
 spirits were in tumult, she hardly believed in the 
 reality of her own feelings, and required reassurance. 
 She wanted to look into his eyes, to hear him repeat 
 such words as he had inadequately faltered the previous 
 night. For one other reason also she urgently desired 
 his private ear. She longed to tell him of her fear of 
 Wasserufer ; and she doubted her courage to do this 
 unless invited with sufficient warmth to confide in him. 
 
 At the thought that shortly, in a few minutes, they 
 would be alone in a position to realise their happi- 
 ness her heart began to beat at a most unaccustomed 
 rate. 
 
 Hardly had they entered the hotel lounge before the 
 porter hurried up with a telegram which he handed to 
 Coverley.
 
 244 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " This came for you more than an hour ago, sir, and 
 the car has arrived and is now waiting," he said. 
 
 " The car ? What car ? " asked Ned in surprise, as 
 he hastily opened the message. 
 
 Urgently need doctor. Secret affair. Come at 
 
 once. Sending car. Bring instruments, anesthetics. 
 
 Armitage. 
 
 Ned stared at the paper. The possibility of its 
 being a bogus call fleeted through his mind, but the 
 wording seemed to him to bear the stamp of authen- 
 ticity. 
 
 He passed it to Vere. " You say a car has come 
 for me ? " he asked of the porter. 
 
 " Yes, sir. The chauffeur seemed vexed that you 
 were not to be found, sir said it was urgent " 
 
 " Is it Lord William's chauffeur ? " 
 
 " No, sir, but he says he comes from his lordship." 
 
 " Where is he ? " asked Ned, going to the door. 
 
 A car was waiting just without, and at the porter's 
 call a middle-aged, steady-looking driver approached 
 and saluted. " Is it Doctor Coverley ? " he asked. 
 
 " From whom do you come ? " countered Ned. 
 
 " From Lord William Armitage, sir. He said he had 
 explained, in a telegram. You have received it ? " 
 
 " Where are you to drive me ? " 
 
 " To the offices of the Kilistrian Legation in the 
 Peace building, sir." 
 
 Ned felt relieved. He knew the rooms in question 
 well, and it would not be possible for this or any 
 driver to take him to any other place. He began to 
 think the call must be genuine, but for all that he 
 decided to obtain confirmation. 
 
 " Charles," he said, " ring up Bill at the office and 
 ask if he's expecting me. Meanwhile I'll collect my 
 things."
 
 THE TRAP 245 
 
 With a hungry glance at Vere, who stood frustrated 
 and immovable, he dashed upstairs while Charles 
 went to the telephone and got his connection with 
 less delay than he anticipated. 
 
 " Can I speak to Lord William Armitage ? " he asked. 
 
 There was a sound like an exclamation of relief or 
 pleasure, and a cultivated voice a woman's replied 
 promptly in excellent English, but a foreign accent : 
 " Is that Dr. Coverley? " 
 
 " Hardcastle, speaking for the doctor," he replied. 
 
 " How thankful I am ! Is the doctor coming ? Do 
 ask him to hasten ..." 
 
 " Could I speak to Lord William himself ? " 
 
 " Alas, no. . . I can't say much over the wire, 
 you understand . . . but it's very urgent ... is that 
 enough ? " 
 
 " Quite. Can you tell me how long the doctor is 
 likely to be kept ? " 
 
 " Oh, not for more than a couple of hours or so. 
 But if he should be delayed, I'll ring up and let you 
 know at the hotel, I suppose ? " 
 
 " Yes, the ' Charmant.' Who is speaking, please ? " 
 
 " Miss Rilescu one of the Kilistrian secretaries 
 may I tell them the doctor is coming ? " 
 
 " Yes, he will start at once." 
 
 " Good ! " The speaker was evidently in haste, for 
 the line was cut off as the word reached his ear. 
 
 As he came out into the lounge Ned arrived down- 
 stairs with his bag of necessaries. 
 
 " It's genuine all right," said Charles. " Miss 
 Rilescu spoke ; and before I said a word she asked 
 if that was Dr. Coverley, so evidently the summons is 
 from them. I I'm afraid from what she did not say 
 she was very guarded I'm afraid it's some accident 
 to Bill."
 
 246 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Then I must go this moment," sighed Ned in 
 tones singularly devoid of resignation. Setting down 
 his bag, he drew Vere into the drawing-room and 
 closed the door. By the beneficence of those gods 
 who love a lover, the room was empty. 
 
 " Oh, this is rotten," he growled, as he caught her 
 to him. " I feel Lord knows how as if you were 
 receding from me, farther and farther as if I couldn't 
 get a grip on you . . ." 
 
 " You seem to have got a pretty fair imitation of 
 a grip," she laughed, gasping as she clung to him. 
 
 " Oh, my girl, give me a kiss to remember some- 
 thing to take with me ! And be careful ! If I'm not 
 back in time, Charles must walk up to the chateau 
 with you " 
 
 " Oh, Ned ! My Ned ! . . . What do you suppose 
 has happened ? " 
 
 " I can only conjecture that somebody got hurt 
 in that explosion ! God send it isn't Bill, but I 
 mustn't delay. . . . Oh, Vere, Vere . . . How utterly 
 sweet you are ! Leaving you is like tearing off a 
 limb! " 
 
 It was as though the lips of her lover were strong 
 wine invigorating her. Her whole being rose in an 
 ecstasy of joy that was like power. 
 
 " Cheer-oh, boy," she murmured in his ear, " after 
 all, a minute like this is worth waiting for! I shall 
 be all right and you'll come back ! There ! Go now ! 
 I can't stand too much of it, neither can you ! I 
 must be strong for both ! Off with you. ..." 
 
 They tore themselves apart, dizzy and blind with 
 the new force which gripped them. Vere's knees were 
 shaking as she stood in the doorway and watched 
 him go.
 
 THE TRAP 247 
 
 As for Coverley, the outstanding feature of his 
 thoughts the thing that held him tranced in wonder 
 was the miracle of his own foresight. How could 
 he have known beforehand what would be the reactions 
 of this unknown quantity which he called Vere, in face 
 of a genuine attachment ? Nevertheless, the fact re- 
 mained that he had known, at least in part ; though 
 the reality was outdoing his anticipations to an extent 
 which he found astonishing. 
 
 These reflections so absorbed him that for most of 
 his drive he could think of nothing else. He had no 
 leisure for anxiety or suspicion, and was taken by 
 surprise when his vehicle drew up before the main 
 door of the Palace of Peace, lying in the sunshine on 
 the shore of the turquoise lake. 
 
 The man who had driven him opened the car door. 
 ' You know your way to Lord William's offices, I 
 think his lordship said ? " he asked respectfully. " If 
 so, I need not go with you " 
 
 " Oh, that's all right," replied Ned, fumbling in 
 his pocket as the chauffeur extracted his bag from 
 the car. 
 
 " Thank you, sir. There is nothing to pay, I was 
 to be sure and tell you that," was the reply, as the 
 man deposited what he carried on the step just within 
 the gate, and once more mounted to the box. 
 
 Perhaps unreasonably, the fact of being thus left 
 to find his own way to Bill, completed the restoration 
 of confidence to Ned. The mists of his emotional 
 dream had cleared, and he was eager now to hear for 
 what reason he had been summoned. 
 
 Moving with his usual long, quick stride, he entered 
 the building and walked towards the corridors where, 
 as he well knew, the Kilistrian Legation had its 
 quarters.
 
 248 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 The place was very empty, for it was after office 
 hours and most of the officials had departed. There 
 was even nobody in the glass enclosure in the main 
 hall, though the doyen was not far away, for Ned 
 could hear his voice, talking in somewhat angry tones 
 to somebody in an adjacent corridor. 
 
 Ned traversed a long passage, then turned and 
 went to his right ; and presently found himself ring- 
 ing the bell which was affixed to the Kilistrian 
 section, not having encountered a soul since his 
 entrance. 
 
 The door was at once opened by a young and pretty 
 girl, obviously an under-secretary. She seemed de- 
 lighted to see him. " It is Dr. Coverley, isn't it ? " 
 she asked cordially in English. " Lord William is 
 expecting you. Please come this way." 
 
 So saying, instead of inviting him in, she shut the 
 door behind her, and beckoned him on, a good way 
 farther along the passage. Then she made a turn 
 into another and narrower corridor, where a pointing 
 arrow on the wall said " To Galatia." Thence once 
 more they debouched upon a third, which would have 
 been exceedingly dark but for the fact that at its end 
 a door stood open. His guide and he passed through 
 it into a little ante-room, and she carefully closed the 
 door behind them, smiling at Coverley as she mur- 
 mured that it was necessary to be very careful. Then 
 she showed him into an inner office, announcing him 
 in an undertone, " The doctor," and instantly with- 
 drew. The room which he entered was not large and, 
 having but one window which gave upon thick trees 
 at the side of the building, was in consequence almost 
 in twilight. 
 
 On a couch in the shadows lay a form, shrouded in 
 a rug, and a man sat beside it.
 
 VERE RETURNS 249 
 
 Ned set down his bag, pulled off the coat he had 
 worn for driving, and went near. 
 
 The watcher moved aside, with a gesture which 
 seemed to ask for silence, and the doctor stooped 
 over the pallid face. " What's wrong eh ? Switch 
 on the light, will you ? " he muttered ; and almost 
 instantly his arms were pinioned from behind, his legs 
 were seized, and in a flash he knew himself trapped. 
 
 Two men had leapt from hiding, and his patient, 
 springing from the couch, helped on the good work. 
 Coverley was caught completely off his guard and, 
 with four men on the job, had no fighting chance. 
 His mouth was stopped before he had time to cry 
 out. 
 
 As soon as he had been rendered helpless, he could 
 hear them rummaging in his bag for the anaesthetic 
 he had brought ; and, in less than three minutes from 
 his walking into the room, he was completely un- 
 conscious. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI VERE RETURNS 
 
 LEFT alone on the terrace together, Charles and Vere 
 were silent for a while. The padre was sketching in 
 water-colours, a favourite pastime of his, and Vere was 
 lost in dreams. 
 
 As with Ned, so with herself. She forgot her sus- 
 picions and anxieties. All shadows of mistrust were 
 swallowed up in the golden light of her secret joy. 
 
 After a while Charles began to talk to her of Ned. 
 What he said was of absorbing interest, but had the 
 curious effect of making her feel uneasily conscious 
 of inferiority. In the light shed on life by her
 
 250 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 newly-developed capacity to love, she saw herself from 
 a most unflattering angle ; even began to doubt her 
 own infallibility. 
 
 Presently Miss Drew came out on the terrace and 
 joined them for tea. She partly restored Vere's com- 
 placency, for she thought her just the right wife for 
 Ned, and said so. 
 
 " You'll keep him busy, holding you on the rails, 
 and he'll keep you busy, trying to understand him," 
 she wisely said. "He's much deeper than you, and 
 you are much quicker than he. It ought to be quite 
 ideal." 
 
 Vere was inclined to think that this estimate showed 
 penetration, and an hour or two passed very pleasantly. 
 
 At about six o'clock a page came out on the terrace 
 with a telephone message for Miss Merton. The 
 Kilistrian Legation had rung up on Dr. Coverley's 
 behalf, to say that he was coming back by the last 
 train from Veyrier, and should walk from Sannetier 
 station straight up to the chateau. Would Miss 
 Merton, on her return thither, explain to the Baronne 
 that he could not arrive in time for dinner ? 
 
 " I'll walk up with you," said Hardcastle. " I wish 
 I could see Ned to-night and hear about things. I 
 expect Bill's driving him to Veyrier and will have told 
 him all about the explosion. By the by, Vere, if I 
 were you, I would only say to your aunt that Ned 
 was called to a case. On no account tell her that Bill 
 sent for him don't you agree ? " 
 
 " Yes, I think you're right. If you go up there 
 with me, they may ask you to stay and dine, and then 
 you can hear what Ned has to say when he arrives." 
 
 " I wish they would," was the reply. " Then Ned 
 need not walk back here alone. They would not dare 
 do anything to him there, at the castle ; but I have
 
 VERE RETURNS 251 
 
 the idea that they might try some trick on a dark 
 road. Do you know whether he ' packs a gun,' as 
 the Yanks say ? " 
 
 "I shouldn't think so! Don't expect he's got a 
 gun to pack," laughed Vere. 
 
 They went back into the hotel, where Vere took 
 leave of Miss Drew, and were just emerging from the 
 hall, ready for their walk, when the castle car was 
 seen to be approaching, with the Baronne seated 
 within. 
 
 Branting descended and opened the car door. 
 
 " My dear child, have I just caught you ? How 
 lucky! Where were you off to ? " 
 
 " The padre was going to escort me home," said 
 Vere gaily, " Ned not being at the moment on the 
 job." 
 
 " Why " Diane glanced quickly from one to the 
 other. She looked queer, Vere thought, as if she had 
 had a shock " what's become of Ned ? Not quar- 
 relled already, have you ? " 
 
 " Ned was called to Geneva, to see a patient " 
 
 " Didn't know he had any patients," replied the 
 Baronne, smiling rather mockingly, " but so much 
 the better. Is he coming back to-night, do you 
 know ? " 
 
 Vere explained that he was coming up by the last 
 train, would alight at Sannetier and go up to the 
 castle. 
 
 " That will do well, though I am sorry he can't 
 get back for dinner. Anyway, I can take you home 
 with me now, child, and save Mr. Hardcastle the 
 long walk." She leaned forward in an ingratiating 
 manner to Hardcastle. " You must come up and 
 dine with us at the earliest possible date, padre. I 
 expect you have heard Vere's news ; we are all pleased
 
 252 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 that she should have found her life's happiness during 
 her visit to us; but I won't ask you to come up this 
 evening. As you see, I have the smaller car, and 
 Branting has been obliged to fill it with sacks of 
 potatoes for Mrs. Stein, which leaves no room for you. 
 Moreover, I am feeling quite worn out, having been 
 all day with my poor friend at Bonneville, who is 
 dying. So I'll say ' au revoir! ' Jump in, Vere." 
 
 As in most cars of French make, the driver was 
 on the near side. Vere noticed that the off side, 
 beyond Branting's burly form, was piled with bulky 
 objects covered with a tarpaulin. This was nothing 
 unusual, for much of the castle provision had to be 
 thus fetched and carried. She got in beside her aunt, 
 who looked so weary and haggard that she felt sorry 
 for her, and said so. 
 
 " Yes, I'm quite shaken. Don't know when I've 
 felt anything so much. . . . Death's an awful thing. 
 . . . But I mustn't depress you, Vere. How curious 
 that Ned should have gone off like this ! Who was 
 his patient ? " 
 
 " I think it was an accident case, from what he 
 said " 
 
 "H'm! One would think there were plenty of 
 doctors in Geneva! But Ned's clever, Gilles always 
 said so ; and I suppose he's quite well now and fit for 
 work ? " 
 
 Vere replied appropriately. She was lost in specu- 
 lation. It seemed to her almost certain that Diane 
 had really been to Bonneville that day. Was it 
 possible that she knew nothing of the accident on the 
 Veyrier road ? 
 
 The girl's head swam. It was all too complicated. 
 She was almost ready to believe that her notion of 
 there being some secret thing hidden in the dungeons
 
 VERE RETURNS 253 
 
 of the chateau was mere nonsense. That the Wasse- 
 rufers and Gilles were not altogether above board was 
 proved by their action in extracting secret information 
 from her ; but perhaps all they did was to pass it on 
 to someone else. 
 
 Presently Diane again referred, in rather a worried 
 way, to the absence of Ned, which she said was a 
 little awkward, since she did not like to look upon 
 the engagement as a thing to be announced until the 
 suitor had talked to Uncle Loo. 
 
 " Your uncle is fond of you, Vere," she said with an 
 impatient sigh. " I should not wonder if he were to 
 settle something on you if he is satisfied that Ned's 
 health is fully restored. He was very ill, you know 
 . . . but I conclude he has told you about that ? " 
 
 " A good deal ; but we really haven't yet had much 
 time to talk " 
 
 " I suppose not. I don't think there was any 
 question of more than nerve collapse. Nevertheless, 
 Uncle Loo must make him say if there is any insanity 
 in the family. I shouldn't like your father to think 
 we let you marry just anybody." 
 
 Vere felt a shadow fall over the golden light. Ned 
 certainly seemed the sanest of the sane . . . and surely 
 Charles would know if any mental obstacle were to 
 be faced ? Yet the remark rankled and hurt a 
 little. 
 
 They drove up the steep incline and stopped at the 
 gate of the chateau. 
 
 Raumont was sitting on the terrace reading the 
 newspaper, and rose to greet their coming. His eyes 
 met Vere's with so much sorrow and reproach in them 
 that she felt quite uncomfortable. Had she flirted 
 cruelly with this man ? 
 
 She shook herself impatiently. Raumont the psycho-
 
 254 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 analyst, Raumont the famous nerve-doctor surely he 
 could take care of himself ? 
 
 " So you've made your choice, Vere ? " he whis- 
 pered as she stood at his side, Diane giving some 
 directions to Branting about various parcels which 
 were in the car. " Just tell me, yes or no. Have you 
 decided absolutely ? " 
 
 Her look was honest and earnest. " Absolutely, Gilles." 
 
 He nodded. " I accept. One must accept, in this 
 life. But you don't realise what you've done, I think." 
 
 She had no time to reply. The Baronne turned and 
 the two ladies went upstairs together to change. 
 
 When they assembed for dinner she could not help 
 remarking that Wasserufer also looked ill or was it 
 uneasy ? 
 
 His fleshy jaw seemed to sag, he looked older and 
 more vulture-like than usual. He had no smiles for 
 her, in fact she thought at first from his greeting that 
 she was in his bad books. Her own tongue was un- 
 ready, for she did not know on what subject it would 
 be safe to converse. Presently Uncle Loo seemed to 
 make an attempt to rally and said something apolo- 
 getic about a tooth that was bothering him. But 
 there was in his manner a suggestion of malevolence ; 
 and she could not help remembering that if the surmise 
 of Coverley and Hardcastle was correct, and the de- 
 stroyed car was a decoy, her relatives must be aware 
 that they had had a bogus message. She tried to 
 comfort herself with the thought that it would be 
 Billie and Jo, and not herself, who would be blamed 
 for this ; but she could not be sure. Gilles was 
 almost certain of her having cheated him, and if he 
 had told Uncle Loo . . . 
 
 A shiver ran over her and she wished she had not 
 come back to d'Almier without Ned.
 
 VERE RETURNS 255 
 
 The front-door bell rang as they sat at dinner, and 
 she could not help remarking the absorbed attention 
 with which all three of the others listened to hear 
 who was there. Stein was not on duty that evening, 
 and when his wife brought in the sweet, Diane asked 
 her point-blank : " Who was that at the door, Frau ? " 
 
 " The post, Madame la Baronne." Everyone 
 breathed more easily. 
 
 As soon as dinner was over, much to Vere's sur- 
 prise both husband and wife disappeared, leaving her 
 alone with Gilles a thing which hardly ever happened. 
 
 He lit her cigarette for her and, still seated at table 
 over the fruit and wine, began to talk. 
 
 He said he was glad to have a chance of explaining 
 his position to her before the arrival of her fiance. 
 Very quietly he went on to say that she was the one 
 love of his life. 
 
 " The modern girl does not expect to be told that 
 a man has lived to my age without affairs of the 
 heart," he remarked ; " love is another matter. When 
 I saw you, Vere, I knew love for the first and last 
 time. If you had responded if you had been able 
 to link up your life with mine I could have become 
 great. Now I am condemned to be but half of me for 
 all the future." 
 
 " Bit hyperbolic, aren't you ? " asked the girl, her 
 cigarette-holder between her charming teeth. She 
 spoke with an air of intimate teasing, feeling it safer 
 to avoid depths of any kind, but anxious not to wound. 
 Yet apparently she hurt him desperately. 
 
 " Ah, I ought to have known ! Love is of necessity 
 so completely engrossed with itself that it can listen 
 to nothing else. If I talk of my own sorrow, it sounds 
 to you merely the crackling of thorns under a pot." 
 
 " Oh, Gilles, don't say that ! Gilles, I am most
 
 256 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 fearfully sorry about this. I truly am. But I couldn't 
 help myself. That's literal fact. I can't tell you, for 
 I don't know, why I love Ned so outrageously ; but 
 the fact remains that I do. The feeling I have for 
 you is is well, it can't be compared. If you love 
 me as you say you do, you know very well that it 
 can be compared with nothing else." 
 
 He did not answer, looking down and screwing the 
 butt of his cigarette in his plate to extinguish it. 
 
 " As you yourself said just now," she urged, " affairs 
 of the heart I mean, just affairs are one thing. 
 Love's another." 
 
 He spoke with his eyes still lowered. " And you 
 really think that what you feel for Coverley is stronger 
 than the feeling that sprang into being almost at once 
 between you and me?" . . . suddenly the pale eyes 
 were raised and looked straight into hers ..." When 
 on the mountain-side I had but to touch your hand 
 and your very thoughts were mine mine ? " 
 
 She cried hurriedly, slightly flustered in her thought : 
 " That isn't love, Gilles that psychic power that you 
 have! You know it isn't." 
 
 " Love is complete rapport," was his quiet answer, 
 " and our rapport could have been perfect had you 
 also wished it." 
 
 " Ah, well," she sighed, " but you see I didn't. 
 I think we must let it go at that." 
 
 " It is very certain that I shall must do as you wish," 
 he replied, " if " and he gave the word strong emphasis 
 " if you know exactly what it is that you wish." 
 
 " Well, I do. I've made up my mind. Don't 
 spoil my beautiful moments by letting me think I've 
 made you unhappy ; because on the whole you've 
 been awfully decent to me."
 
 VERE RETURNS 257 
 
 He smiled, the smile he usually gave to her modern 
 slangy attempts at self-expression. " Bewitching 
 child! " the smile seemed to mean. Aloud he said : 
 " All I want you to realise is, how inter-dependent we 
 are, you and I. I am your slave, because I love you ; 
 but if it isn't too bad of me to remind you I am also 
 your master, Vere, if I choose to exert my mastery." 
 
 She shook her head, smiling and colouring a little. 
 " Not now. That's no longer true." 
 
 " You think not ? " 
 
 " I'm quite sure of it." 
 
 " It wouldn't be let me warn you it wouldn't be 
 prudent of you to challenge me." 
 
 She laughed. As they sat with windows open to 
 the night, she could hear the sound of the train that 
 was bringing Ned to her as it ascended the hill. She 
 felt so gloriously safe. " I do challenge you ! What 
 will you make me do ? " 
 
 His tense absorption gave way to an odd smile. 
 " Oh, if I tell you, of course you won't do it, just 
 because I've told you to. My brain is conveying to 
 you a secret command a command, mind you not 
 a request. I think that your brain will receive . . . 
 and obey . . . that command." 
 
 She pushed back her chair, laughing in his face. 
 
 " We'll have to postpone the demonstration, old 
 thing," said she. "I'm going to get a coat and walk 
 down the road a little way, to meet Ned." 
 
 " May I come too ? " 
 
 " Won't Aunt Diane want you for her game of 
 piquet ? " 
 
 " Diane is, I think, packing her things. She will 
 probably have to go off to Bonneville to-morrow in 
 fact she would not have come back this evening had 
 
 R
 
 258 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 she not known you would be up here alone. To- 
 morrow you go to the Armitages, don't you ? " 
 " Yes, that was the arrangement." 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII WHERE IS NED? 
 
 VERE and Gilles stood together on the front-door 
 steps, waiting for a while. Vere wondered at their 
 being thus left together until the simple reason dawned 
 upon her. Since she had decided to marry Ned, 
 Diane no longer feared her as a rival. The thought 
 made her feel doubly safe, even cocksure. She was 
 far more at ease with Gilles than with the others, and 
 had no fears at all of her ability to hold him off. 
 
 " The train's almost in," said Gilles softly. " Listen ! 
 It's in the tunnel, isn't it ? " 
 
 " Just coming out," she answered ; " that means it 
 will stop at Sannetier in about three minutes." 
 
 As she spoke the sound grew louder, rising to their 
 ears with startling clearness as the little train passed 
 along the bit of level meadow between the tunnel and 
 the village. 
 
 " She's in," said Gilles, as the noise ceased. " Come 
 on. Let's go down by the tennis ground, through the 
 lower gate it's not dark we can watch the bit of 
 road and the short cut, and see him come the 
 conquering hero." 
 
 They strolled off together, and when they reached 
 the point at which the short cut debouches into the 
 carriage road, he handed her a pair of field-glasses. 
 
 " Oh, thanks, you are a good sort ! I can see 
 perfectly with these."
 
 WHERE IS NED? 259 
 
 " Lucky man! " said Gilles raspingly. " Think of 
 it ! To come up here and find a girl like you waiting 
 for him in her prettiest frock. . . ." 
 
 Vere laughed. " And the wrong shoes and stock- 
 ings," she remarked, sticking out her slim feet. " Zelie 
 was not .to be found this evening when I came home." 
 
 " I think Diane has given her a couple of days off ; she 
 lives too far away to reach her people in one afternoon." 
 
 " Oh ! Is that it ? And I'm growing such a spoilt 
 cat that I feel a grouch at having to pack my own 
 suit-cases to go down to Geneva to-morrow! . . . 
 Hallo ! Here come two men no. Neither of those 
 is Ned. Now I see a woman with a hand-cart and 
 now a man who's taking the short cut oh, surely 
 that must be but it's not. Looks like Stein." 
 
 " Very likely. Stein was to come up by this train. 
 He's been to Geneva for Uncle Loo." 
 
 " I noticed his wife brought in dinner. No wonder 
 Aunt Diane didn't want a party this evening, if all 
 her staff is away. ... I say, Ned ought to be in sight 
 by now, if he's come." 
 
 " I think we may feel pretty sure he hasn't come." 
 
 " Oh, but he would have let me know," objected 
 Vere, struggling with growing disappointment. " How- 
 ever, he's sure to ring up soon, isn't he ? " 
 
 " I wonder he hasn't done so already, unless he " 
 
 Gilles made a significant pause. 
 
 " Unless he what ? " 
 
 " Well, in the days when I was treating him he 
 had a habit of er disappearing." 
 
 " Disappearing ? " 
 
 " Yes ; used to go off and forget who he was 
 temporary loss of memory, you know." 
 
 " Ned did that ? It doesn't sound like him."
 
 260 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " May I remind you that I know the man you intend 
 to marry a great deal better than you do ? " 
 
 " I think " with a frosty intonation " that we 
 won't discuss him." 
 
 " Agreed. There is no subject of conversation more 
 distasteful to me ; and, after all, this is the first time 
 he's let you down, isn't it ? Though I suppose he 
 hasn't had much chance so far ? " 
 
 Vere set her teeth as she gazed wistfully down the 
 empty road, but made no retort. They sat on in hostile 
 silence until Stein passed them, glancing spitefully at 
 Vere. 
 
 " Hey, Stein, did Dr. Coverley come up by that 
 train ? " asked Raumont. 
 
 " No," was the reply, growled savagely as the man 
 tramped on. 
 
 " Well, that's that," said Vere, rising with a sigh. 
 
 " Forgive me, Vere," said Gilles remorsefully as he 
 helped her up. " Whenever I speak of Coverley I 
 seem to dip my tongue in gall." 
 
 They did not hurry back, but paused to light cigar- 
 ettes, and strolled through the garden until the sound 
 of Diane's shrill voice bade them hasten. Gilles sent 
 an answering hail : " Coming as fast as we can." 
 
 She was standing on the threshold awaiting them, 
 much as she had done on the first day of Vere's arrival. 
 
 " We strolled down the road to meet Coverley, but 
 he hasn't materialised," explained Gilles easily. 
 
 " I don't wonder," was the frigid answer. The 
 speaker paused until they had both reached the hall, 
 and then continued, standing truculently in front of 
 Vere : "If he went to see the Armitages, they have 
 probably warned him that this girl is a traitor for 
 they must know it by this time."
 
 WHERE IS NED? 26l 
 
 Vere started, and flashed a glance of deep reproach 
 at Gilles. So he had told! He shook his head in 
 swift negation, but did not speak. 
 
 " Will you tell me what you mean, Aunt Diane ? " 
 she asked. 
 
 " No need ! I don't know who put you up to it, 
 but you know well enough what I mean. You wrote 
 false information to entrap your uncle and myself." 
 
 " What false information ? " the girl contrived to 
 ask with a fairly steady voice. 
 
 "Oh, I needn't specify; you know well enough! 
 You wrote a lie and slipped it between the pages of 
 a book where you knew we should find it. . . ." 
 
 " You must explain, please slipped a lie between 
 the pages of a book ? How could I ? " 
 
 Gilles came quickly to the rescue. 
 
 " You forget, Diane Vere knows nothing of a com- 
 mand laid upon her when she was under control. ..." 
 
 " Under control ! " taunted Diane. " Has she out- 
 witted you too, Gilles you with your psychic powers ? 
 She never was under your control for a single instant ! 
 She's just a clever little adventuress ! Oh, I ought 
 to have read between the lines of her father's letter ! 
 I ought to have known that if a man disparages his 
 own daughter, there's something behind a great deal 
 worse than what he says ! I'm sorry now that I 
 encouraged that poor young Coverley to fall in love 
 with her. She's a minx, that's what she is ! " 
 
 " Diane, if you say these things to her, you ought 
 to explain your reasons," said Gilles coldly. 
 
 ' You take her part ! Yes ! Of course you would ! 
 You thought you had made a conquest of her, but 
 you never were more mistaken in your life ! Now I'll 
 tell you, Gilles ! This morning, when she went down-
 
 262 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 stairs, I slipped into her room and took out of the 
 book where she had been directed to place it, the piece 
 of paper on which she had written what you know. 
 Having done so, I laid a tiny bead upon the book, 
 in a position where it was hardly visible. She went 
 to her room to get her hat, and, as soon as she and 
 her lover had departed, I crept in once more. The 
 bead had rolled off she had opened the book to see if 
 the message was gone \ But more than that ! Although 
 I sent them down to the ' Charmant ' in the car, she 
 persuaded those two men to bring her back again I 
 don't know how up to a point on the mountain-side, 
 whence she could look down and see what happened ! 
 What do you think of that for impudence ? I tell 
 you she's a decoy a hardened little criminal ! " 
 
 " Aunt Diane, if you went to Bonne ville, how can 
 you know where we had our picnic ? " 
 
 " I have been told a few minutes ago you need not 
 know who told me ! You were seen you can't deny it ! " 
 
 " I don't want to deny it ! We did picnic on the 
 mountain-side, and we saw a car explode have an 
 accident as if a bomb was in it, or on the road." 
 
 Diane paused, glanced at her keenly. " On the 
 road what road ? " 
 
 " You know the road that passes Veyrier station 
 and goes to St. Julien." 
 
 " You did not see whence the bomb came ? " 
 
 " Oh, no. It was too far off. There was nobody 
 in sight, I feel certain of that ; but it was all over 
 in a moment it looked as if the car had been struck 
 by lightning more than anything." 
 
 It was a desperate throw, but she saw that a look 
 of relief stole over Diane's drawn face. " Like 
 lightning," she repeated vaguely.
 
 WHERE IS NED? 263 
 
 "Is it possible that something happened in the 
 power station ? " suggested Gilles with the air of an 
 earnest inquirer. " I believe there is a power station 
 at the terminus, isn't there ? " 
 
 " Why, I should think that must be it," replied 
 Vere at once. " The men all came running out of 
 the sheds we could see that." 
 
 " But what were you doing up there ? " cried Diane 
 obstinately. 
 
 " Having lunch," replied her niece incisively. 
 
 " You are a little liar ! I don't trust you," was the 
 reply. " No, I don't trust you, and never shall again. 
 However, to-morrow my responsibility ends. You go 
 to the Armitages, and your lover had better marry 
 you and take you out of my sight the sooner the 
 better. Until then, however, I shall bestow you out 
 of harm's way. Come along, miss ! " 
 
 " Aunt Diane ! " cried the girl, as the woman's 
 fingers gripped her arm savagely. 
 
 Without reply, the Baronne pushed and dragged 
 her to the stairs, with a force of muscular strength 
 which seemed lent by the fury which tore her. When 
 Vere became aware that she was being hustled into 
 her own room, she ceased to resist, telling herself 
 that it was, after all, the safest place she could be in. 
 Raumont ventured not the least remonstrance. He 
 shrugged, turned on his heel, went to the front door, 
 and gazed forth listening, while the key was turned in 
 the lock. When the raging woman came downstairs, 
 he stood staring at her, faintly mocking. 
 
 " Well," he said, " the fat's in the fire now with a 
 vengeance. Dare I venture to ask why you gave 
 yourself away so completely ? " 
 
 She laughed harshly. " Because I had to. I have
 
 264 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 held myself in too long I had to strike at her once 
 to let her feel my hate because she won't be able to 
 talk about it, will she ? " 
 
 There was a short pause. " Indeed ? " said Gilles 
 at last, almost indifferently. "Then what's your 
 plan?" 
 
 " Loo's decided it shall be done to-night," she 
 replied. " We leave at two o'clock this morning." 
 
 " I don't agree with Luitpold. We're safe enough 
 here. You heard what she said the account of an 
 eye-witness. They may think us responsible, but of 
 the means employed I don't believe they have an 
 inkling." 
 
 " Then you're a damn fool, Gilles. What ! The 
 Armitages know all about the cavern " 
 
 " You can't say for certain that they do and you 
 hold Coverley " 
 
 " I tell you they know, and that fiasco this morning 
 has told them the rest. They will be up here as soon 
 as they can procure a search warrant. Loo thinks it 
 just possible that they might get one by to-morrow ; 
 and by that time the chateau must have ceased to 
 exist." 
 
 He shrugged his shoulders again. " A pretty ex- 
 pensive method of destroying evidence. Are things as 
 desperate as all that ? However, it's Loo's funeral, 
 not mine. Where do we go ? " 
 
 "The Soviet yacht will be waiting for us at Nice. 
 We travel straight down the Route des Alpes, and 
 ought to be on board before pursuit begins." 
 
 ' Yes, that's not a bad scheme ; but look here 
 if our getaway is so safe, can't we let those two go ? 
 What harm can they do us if we're safely off ? " 
 
 " You seem to have lost your wits, Gilles ; in fact
 
 THE TOWER ROOM 265 
 
 you have. Your infatuation for that lying little slut 
 has made you imbecile. Do you wish to disappear 
 for ever from the habitable globe ? What of your 
 practice in Lausanne ? Will you ever be able to 
 resume it if those two are alive to witness against 
 you ? And now to work. Loo is down below, helping 
 the men you and I have to dispose of the paraffin 
 tins. However, I must finish my packing first. You 
 go up to the tower at once." 
 
 " Good," he replied calmly. " But do see if you 
 can't get Loo to let those two go." 
 
 She laughed a laugh that curdled the man's blood 
 and made him wonder that he could ever have had 
 a passion for her. " I'm going to give Loo the key 
 of her room," she cackled as she hurried off in the 
 direction of the kitchens. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII THE TOWER ROOM 
 
 HARDLY was the furious woman through the kitchen 
 door, when Gilles was at the top of the stairs. He 
 had slipped off his shoes and ran without noise, 
 carrying them in his hand. 
 
 Without loss of an instant he entered Diane's bed- 
 room, passed through it to the bath-room and sharply 
 drew back the bolt of the door of Vere's room. Throw- 
 ing it open brusquely, he spoke peremptorily to the 
 surprised occupant. 
 
 " Come along out of it Diane must have gone off her 
 head. Come at once you haven't a minute to spare ..." 
 
 Vere stood staring at him wavering inclined to 
 believe herself safer where she was.
 
 266 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Vere, believe me, this is a matter of life or death 
 for you," he urged. " Diane has gone to give the key 
 of your room to Luitpold." 
 
 That moved her. She sprang across the floor to 
 him. " Oh, Gilles, is that true ? " 
 
 " True as gospel. Off with you ! " he commanded 
 harshly ; and in a moment they were both hastening 
 through the bath-room, into the almost darkness and 
 the suffocating perfumes of Diane's apartment. As 
 they emerged tiptoe upon the landing, they heard the 
 step of the Baronne, and her voice, raised in half- 
 screaming, hectoring orders to someone below. 
 
 " The tower ! " gasped Gilles. " You'll be safe up 
 there ! " 
 
 " Have you bolted the bath-room door, so that she 
 will think I'm still inside ? " 
 
 " Yes, of course ! Run ! " 
 
 Vere ran. Up the twisting stair she fled to the 
 laboratory, where there burnt a beautiful clear fire. 
 
 The room had changed somewhat since she saw it 
 before. It was much tidier ; in fact she could see 
 that masses of wooden cases, tins and bottles had 
 disappeared. But for a collection of objects on the 
 floor, near the door, covered with newspapers, all was 
 in order. On the table a lamp was burning with a 
 good clear light, and a couch was drawn up to the 
 hearth. The window that looked towards Geneva 
 stood open and the place was fragrant with the 
 exhilarating mountain air. 
 
 " Oh, I hadn't realised the charm of this den of 
 yours ! " she cried impulsively, approaching the fire. 
 
 Gilles had shut and locked the door, and, with a 
 glance at her averted head, he slipped the huge key 
 into his pocket.
 
 THE TOWER ROOM 267 
 
 When he joined her his outward demeanour was 
 calm and he succeeded in not conveying the impression 
 of the desperate haste that was driving him. 
 
 " Vere," he said gently. " You must now pull 
 yourself together and listen to me. Yes, you've got 
 to listen ! I believe you to be making a complete 
 mistake ; and I want to convince you of it before 
 it's too late." 
 
 Vere was irritated ; but he had just rescued her, 
 and she had to be courteous. 
 
 " Gilles please you know it's no good 
 
 " I know a great many things that you don't know," 
 he replied, in tones of quiet significance. " I intend 
 to tell you about them at once, because I care for 
 nothing in the world but you, and if you refuse to 
 listen you'll regret it to the last day of your life . . . 
 which may be far less distant than you suppose." 
 
 Vere faced him, outwardly composed, though in- 
 wardly she trembled. "So ... you are beginning 
 to threaten, are you ? " 
 
 " Certainly not. All the difference in the world 
 between a warning and a threat. I'm going to put 
 you wise to a few facts. Sit down." 
 
 " I can listen better standing up." 
 
 " Sit down at once ! Don't act like a fool ! Can't 
 you see I'm in earnest that I really have something 
 of importance to say ? " 
 
 Vere thought it best not to force an issue. She 
 seated herself. 
 
 " Now," he said, " try to understand that you are 
 in a position of the utmost danger. You heard what 
 Diane said just now. She already suspects what I 
 know that you have been acting the spy for the 
 Armitages. You might have carried it off but for
 
 268 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 your foolhardiness in trying to deceive me. You 
 failed. I felt certain you were feigning trance. If 
 Luitpold Wasserufer knew that for a fact he would 
 kill you to-night. But before he killed you he would 
 do worse, for he is that kind of man. Even Diane 
 does not know it for certain, for I have given her no 
 hint. // she did ... I tell you, Vere, nothing stands 
 between you and the vengeance of these people but 
 me. Nothing." 
 
 Vere raised her eyes to him, full of pity for such 
 folly. " I think you are forgetting Edward Coverley." 
 
 " My poor child, you have nothing to hope for in 
 that direction," he answered, eyeing her so steadily 
 that she knew he was speaking the truth. " He has 
 already been dealt with. Do you suppose I would 
 lay my cards on the table as I am now doing if he 
 were likely to butt in ? No, they lured him down to 
 Geneva to-day with a false call " 
 
 That pierced her guard. "Oh . . . ! " she sprang 
 to her feet, choking. 
 
 " Just as you lured us this morning," was the 
 inexorable retort, " with your lying information which 
 has, almost certainly, wrecked the patient work of 
 months. ..." 
 
 " Gilles, are you speaking seriously ? Was that call 
 really false ? Is Ned in ... in danger ? " 
 
 " It is improbable that you will ever see him again, 
 but whether he dies or not depends mainly upon you. 
 If you decide to consent . . . Vere, believe me, it is 
 for your happiness ! I know what you need, better 
 than you do yourself! Only give me your word to 
 marry me at your own time, and I can and will save 
 you both. I'll help Coverley to escape and I'll carry 
 you off out of reach of the Wasserufers. Think well !
 
 THE TOWER ROOM 269 
 
 Wasserufer has Coverley here, in his power. He 
 thinks no more of murdering a man than of killing a 
 pig. Unless I take a hand, there isn't a chance for 
 Ned . . . But I love you I've set my heart on you ! 
 And you loved me until this sudden passion for Ned 
 caught you in its flame. It's nothing but a sex- 
 passion, Vere you'll forget it you'll get over it ; 
 because I appreciate you in a way that fellow never 
 could, and I know I could make you happy ! Just tell 
 me it's a bargain and I'll see that he goes safe and 
 free ..." There was a kind of agony in the man's 
 manner, he was holding himself in check, yet with all 
 his force, with every power in him, he was set upon her 
 surrender. 
 
 "So that's your offer. I'm to sell myself to you 
 for the price of Ned's life ? Well, I won't. Is that 
 clear ? If Ned were here I know what he'd be say- 
 ing Never mind what happens to me keep your 
 honour " 
 
 " But good heavens, Vere, who's asking you to lose 
 your honour ? I'm asking you to be my wife ! " 
 
 " The wife of a man who could offer such a bargain ? 
 The man who is threatening that in case of my refusal 
 he will hand me over to the brute I have called Uncle 
 Loo ? If you wish to know what I think, I believe the 
 whole of this is bluff. You haven't really got Ned 
 prisoner, and if you had, you dare not hurt him ! His 
 friends are too powerful. You take me for a bigger 
 fool than I am! " 
 
 " Then you mean to go on in your fool's paradise ? 
 Powerful friends indeed ! When your powerful friends 
 come here to find out what has become of you, they'll 
 have the surprise of their young lives. As for you . . . 
 Diane is fighting for her own hand. She'll think no
 
 270 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 more of you than she would of a cat that lost its life 
 in the fire ! " 
 
 " One thing," said the girl boldly, " makes me sure 
 you are just bluffing! If all this were true if you 
 were really expecting to be raided, you wouldn't be 
 wasting your time up here talking ! " 
 
 " Oh well, it's not so urgent as all that. Time for 
 you to consider seriously. You've only to pass me 
 your word to give up Coverley and I'll go and release 
 him. Not? Well, well! I've done my best to save 
 you with your own goodwill. Now I must do it in spite 
 of you. Forgive me, but you would have it I must 
 just keep you quiet while I put you to sleep for a while." 
 
 His movement was so sudden that Vere was unable 
 to spring up. His arms were round her and so was a 
 length of soft thick rope that felt as if it were made of 
 plush. 
 
 " Scream as loudly as you choose," said he calmly, 
 " nobody can hear you. Nevertheless, it will perhaps 
 be more prudent to bandage your mouth." 
 
 She was strong and young, but he was much more 
 than a match for her. Moreover she had not at all 
 expected that he would dare to use force. For the first 
 few moments of his attack she experienced a horrible 
 fright which produced faintness ; but as he bound her 
 hands, wrist to wrist, she began to struggle, and only 
 ceased because some sub-conscious instinct warned her 
 that to feel her writhing and resisting in his arms was 
 exciting him to a still more dangerous point. 
 
 She felt that all was lost. If he succeeded in putting 
 her to sleep, she was helpless. Oh ! Why had Billie 
 and Jo left her these terrible hours in the Wolf's Jaws ? 
 
 Gilles was holding her on his knees, his arms firmly 
 wrapped about her, his tongue babbling a curious
 
 THE TOWER ROOM 271 
 
 medley of fond devotion and mad-sounding threats. 
 He attempted no kiss, no caress ; it was not the time 
 for that ; but even while employing compulsion he was 
 very tender with her, and she thought, if she had been 
 able to speak, she might have dominated him. Her 
 bound mouth made her unable either to taunt or plead. 
 She felt the man's power pouring itself into her, as if 
 something definite, tangible were seeking the very 
 springs of her being. With all her force she shut the 
 doors upon it, she fought, she defied . . . but she 
 knew she was weakening . . . 
 
 Consciousness began to be blurred resistance was 
 growing to be agony she feared the end was near 
 when there came a loud knocking, pounding at the 
 door and the voice of Diane, hardly penetrating the 
 massive oak. 
 
 " Gilles ! Gilles ! Where are you ? Where's the 
 girl ? She's got out of her room somehow ! I can't 
 find her! " 
 
 Gilles started. A shudder shook his whole frame. 
 His intense concentration was shattered, the current 
 as it were disconnected. The oath that he uttered 
 need not be recorded. Coming to his feet with a bound, 
 the girl in his arms, he moved lightly across the room 
 and laid her down upon a settle with a high back which 
 completely concealed her. " Lie where you are without 
 sound or movement," he murmured into her ear, almost 
 convinced that she was sufficiently under control to 
 obey. Then, without a pause, he strode to the door 
 and unlocked it. 
 
 " Vere missing ? " said he in a low tone. " Have 
 you looked under the bed and in the cupboards ? " 
 
 " Everywhere she's not there and her window's 
 wide open."
 
 272 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Well, it's not far from her window to the ground. 
 She may have jumped, I wouldn't put it past her. 
 Anyhow, I'll come and look, but we may as well take 
 down some of these paraffin tins with us." He went 
 to the place where they lay covered with newspaper. 
 " I've just been upstairs to bring it down from my 
 room, and when it was all here I locked the door as a 
 precaution. Will you carry a couple of tins ? " 
 
 " All right," she replied breathlessly. " so long as 
 you come at once. If Vere really jumped she must 
 have hurt herself, she can't have gone far " 
 
 He laughed tauntingly. " Didn't I tell you how 
 unwise you were to let yourself go so completely just 
 now ? We must search the grounds if she's escaped, 
 there'll be the devil to pay." 
 
 " Escaped! She shan't you must fetch her back 
 at once ! I'll clip the little tiger's claws ! Damn it 
 all, I thought a girl locked in was a girl safe ! Come at 
 once ! " 
 
 " Coming. Take these and stand out of my way 
 while I turn this key in the lock. The things in that 
 room had best not be meddled with except by 
 me." 
 
 Vere heard the door clang, the key turn. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV AT GRIPS 
 
 VERE was on her feet almost before the sound of the 
 shoot of the heavy lock reached her ears. 
 
 When first she heard her aunt's voice she had been 
 minded to move, to disclose her presence ; but the 
 overheard words that passed showed her how useless
 
 AT GRIPS 273 
 
 it would be to expect pity from this woman. Dis- 
 gracefully as Gilles was behaving she yet felt that she 
 would rather be at his mercy than at that of the 
 Wasserufers. 
 
 Gilles had perhaps relied unduly upon his belief that 
 she was subdued if not controlled. He also relied 
 upon the locked door, so he had not tied her feet ; and 
 if she could free her hands, it would be easy to tear 
 the gag from her mouth. There was a space between 
 her skilfully hobbled hands, and she glanced round in 
 search of anything that might cut. There was nothing ; 
 but as her eyes fell on the lamp, she had the idea of 
 holding the rope above the chimney of it. 
 
 It might take fire ; therefore she must have some- 
 thing on hand wherewith to smother the flame. She 
 had been tied with the view of preventing resistance 
 on her part, not so as to deprive her of the use of her 
 fingers. She succeeded in dragging to a handy position 
 a loose rug which was spread over the couch. Then 
 she manoeuvred the lamp nearer the edge of the table, 
 and held her hands over it, so that the intervening 
 rope was just above the chimney. 
 
 A horrible smell of singeing arose, and she was soon 
 conscious of sharp pain on the delicate surface of her 
 inner arms ; but she held on, pulling her wrists as wide 
 apart as she could ; for by degrees the strands of the 
 rope were smouldering through. 
 
 To her horror, - however, they did not cease to 
 smoulder after the rope parted. By this time the 
 anguish was so intense, that she had not the courage 
 to beat her sore wrists, and looked wildly about for 
 water. A siphon of soda-water and a decanter stood 
 on the table. She squirted the liquid, first on one 
 wrist then on the other until the fire was extinguished. 
 
 S
 
 274 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 There still remained two or three twists of wet charred 
 rope about each wrist, but she had neither knife nor 
 scissors to cut it ; and for a few minutes she was in 
 such pain that she could think of nothing else. As 
 soon as she could she tore away the bandage from her 
 mouth, and, staggering to the window, drew in breath 
 after breath of the cool sweet air. 
 
 Then she remembered that she was now trapped 
 securely ; and as her thoughts darted to and fro, seek- 
 ing some means of escape, she suddenly recalled Ned's 
 story of the hidden door. 
 
 Excitement almost superseded pain as she fixed her 
 eyes upon the massive bookcase which now replaced 
 the flimsy cupboard of Ned's memory. It looked far 
 too ponderous for her to shift, but she sensibly re- 
 flected that, if this doorway were in use, it must be so 
 arranged as to be fairly easily movable. Upon careful 
 examination she discovered on one side, near the wall, 
 a spring sunk in the wood and coloured to match it ; 
 and this, upon being pressed, released a catch, so that 
 the whole thing rolled silently back upon well-oiled 
 castors. She was just going to open the door when 
 another thought struck her. Gilles had said something 
 to the effect that her friends, should they try to enter 
 the castle, would receive an unpleasant shock. So far 
 as she was aware, her friends were not likely to come 
 near the place until the following day. All the same, 
 in view of the uncertainty of her own fate, she thought 
 she ought to make an attempt to warn them. 
 
 She rolled back the bookcase and went to the table 
 where lay a blotter with some paper and a pencil lying 
 on it. She wrote : 
 
 Be careful. The place is mined. Better go in by
 
 AT GRIPS 275 
 
 front door. They have Ned prisoner, and I am locked 
 in tower room but am trying to make my way down. 
 
 V. 
 
 Searching in her vanity-bag, which she had laid down 
 on the settle, she found two small handkerchiefs. 
 Glancing at the clock which ticked composedly on the 
 mantelpiece she saw that twelve minutes had elapsed 
 since Gilles left her. She calculated that he would be 
 back in twenty minutes or less. Therefore she had 
 just time to duplicate her message. 
 
 Controlling alike her pain and her impatience she 
 forced herself to copy the words she had written, and 
 proceeded to tie up two small packages, weighted with 
 coal. 
 
 Girls nowadays are taught at school how to throw a 
 ball, an art formerly outside their scope. Vere was 
 particularly good at ball games. She flung one package 
 from the window which looked out upon the carriage 
 entrance, having first reconnoitred to see if Gilles were 
 anywhere about. She could hear his footsteps, and 
 gathered that he was moving down the garden flashing 
 a lantern to and fro in his mock search for her. The 
 little missile passed through the open gateway and lay 
 on the road outside, where she could just see it 
 glimmering in the dusk. 
 
 She then went to the window which overlooked the 
 yard and once more peered cautiously forth. Night 
 had not completely fallen, but the enclosed yard, 
 between the castle and the rock, was very dark. She 
 threw as near the cellar door as she could aim, but 
 was not able to see where her shot landed. This 
 was all she could do, and she prepared for flight, 
 first glancing all round the room for something that
 
 276 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 might serve as a weapon. There was only the poker, 
 so she possessed herself of that ; and then she had 
 a really valuable find. On the mantelshelf lay an 
 electric torch, evidently for use when descending the 
 tower stair. 
 
 Thus equipped, she rolled back the book-case and 
 lifted the latch of the small door. 
 
 She might well be leaping from the frying-pan into 
 the fire, since she knew not what pitfalls awaited her 
 below ; but she did not mean to remain in the cavern. 
 She was certain that if the vaults were in use, some exit 
 must have been provided of a far more practicable 
 nature than the newel stair. 
 
 Screwing her courage up to the sticking-point, she 
 pushed wide the narrow door, which opened inwards 
 and recoiled with a shriek of mortal terror. Wasse- 
 rufer was standing panting just within. 
 
 " Did I startle you, my pretty nieceling ? " he 
 purred smilingly as he emerged into the room, she 
 backing before him. " They told me that you had 
 escaped from your room, wherein your naughty auntie 
 had imprisoned you. Aha, my pretty bird, the old 
 uncle guessed well who let you out he guessed that he 
 would find you here ! So you have not only double- 
 crossed the old folks, you have deceived your poor 
 Coverley also ! Gilles is the favoured man, is he ? 
 Oh, I know he is a fascinator, but I fear he is 
 feeckle that is the word, not true ? You call it 
 feeckle ? " 
 
 As he spoke, he advanced towards her, wiping his 
 forehead with a delicately scented handkerchief. 
 " Those stairs," he said, " are somewhat of an ascent 
 for the old uncle. But I could not leave you here, my 
 pretty, with all this paraffin and explosives about !
 
 AT GRIPS 277 
 
 Pity, isn't it ? and all your fault, too ! Everything 
 would have gone so well if my pretty Vere had not 
 bitten the hand that fed her ! Well ! Well ! But 
 I can forgive anything to so sweet a child as you. 
 So come to me, my pretty. I shall save you and 
 hide you from your auntie's wrath, and all at 
 the easy price of a few kisses to the doting Uncle 
 Loo . . ." 
 
 She was sidling, edging along the wall trying to slip 
 round near enough to make a dart for the stairs. He 
 was completely conscious of the manoeuvre, and also 
 conscious that he had made a slip in not closing the 
 book-case the moment he was in the room. Now he 
 could not do this without turning round away from her, 
 and she was so quick on her feet that he dared not 
 attempt it. 
 
 " Come, come," he said coaxingly, " what is the 
 matter eh ? A few kisses, and you will have paid 
 for your liberty, and the old man swears you shall 
 be safe for always. Drop that poker, Vere, or there 
 will be trouble," he added in a different voice. 
 
 In her despair the girl yet kept a stiff upper lip. 
 She knew that if he once got hold of her all was 
 lost. She would be quite helpless against his strength 
 and his bulk. To elude him was her one chance, 
 and the poker might make him wary of coming too 
 near. 
 
 " I shall not strike you," she said between her teeth, 
 " as long as you keep your distance. Stay where you 
 are, or I will hit with all my strength." 
 
 " Oh, come, come ! If that is to be the way of it, 
 I must show my teeth," he gibed good-humouredly, 
 slipping from his pocket a pistol so tiny as to look like 
 a toy. " Now do as I bid you, nieceling. Drop that
 
 278 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 poker and come here. Sit down on the couch, or I 
 warn you you will be sorry " 
 
 He was edging along, so as to get between her and 
 the open door. He was not expecting her to make 
 a dart in the opposite direction. This she did, her 
 heart pounding in her throat, rushed to the open win- 
 dow, and, in spite of his lurid threats, uttered three 
 piercing screams for help. Frantic with rage, the 
 furious man fired at the ground, just in front of her 
 feet ; and for one awful moment she thought she was 
 killed, for the shock made her reel and stagger. 
 
 She saw then that he meant either death or consent 
 to his purpose, and she knew she must choose death 
 death, just as she had discovered what life might be ! 
 Wasserufer would sooner see her dead than in the 
 hands of Gilles ; the man's hatred of his wife's whilom 
 lover seemed to exude from the very pores of him as he 
 stood there, eyes bloodshot, face clammy with sweat, 
 horrible in his brutal determination. 
 
 Losing all caution, she dashed at him with her 
 poker but, with a celerity of which one might not 
 have deemed him capable, he let his pistol fall on the 
 table, ran in and clutched her neck with one great 
 ham-like paw, while with the other he grasped the arm 
 which held the weapon. 
 
 She could not cry out with that awful pressure on 
 her windpipe, she could not raise her arm to strike, 
 and the agony caused to her burn by his grip of her 
 arm made her sick with pain. 
 
 Yet she struggled, yet she held him off, though 
 knowing well that the contest could have but one 
 end. His breath was on her cheek, his blood- 
 injected eyes glaring into hers when she heard the key 
 of the outer door turn the door was flung open, and
 
 UNDER THE CELLARS 279 
 
 Gilles dashed into the room, howling like some mad 
 animal. 
 
 Wasserufer loosed his clutch of Vere, and, snatching 
 up his pistol, turned to face his raging rival. 
 
 Before he could take aim, the entering champion was 
 upon him, in all the power of well- trained muscle 
 driven by cold fury. The blows sounded to the girl 
 like the blows of a butcher on cracking flesh and bone. 
 Wasserufer was felled before he had time to put forth 
 his enormous strength. 
 
 The moment they joined battle, these two were 
 aware that it was a fight to a finish. The weighty bulk 
 of the elder man crashed to the floor all among the 
 paraffin tins, but he was by no means defeated, and 
 Gilles knew it. Before turning to the girl he had to 
 see that his enemy was finally disposed of. 
 
 Meanwhile, Vere stood between two doors, and each 
 was open to her for flight. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV UNDER THE CELLARS 
 
 AFTERWARDS Vere never knew exactly what urged 
 her to dare the perilous adventure of the cavern stair 
 in preference to that which would have landed her in 
 her own room in a minute or two, with a fair chance 
 of being able to reach the front door unseen, and to 
 run from the castle to run for her life. 
 
 The two governing motives were probably her terror of 
 falling into Diane's hands and her frantic fears for Ned. 
 
 He was in the castle somewhere, a helpless captive 
 doubtless placed where the fire which would be the 
 result of an explosion would reach him first.
 
 280 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 She half inclined to the belief that she ought to 
 take her chance of being able to run for help ; a call 
 to Bill or to Charles must be the best hope for Ned's 
 being rescued in time . . . but would it ? ... She 
 had in her fancy that threat of Raumont's. The place 
 was mined. Anyone who arrived would probably be 
 blown to pieces ; and how could anyone approach 
 unseen ? It was almost certain that the conspirators 
 would be at once informed if a car-load of men passed 
 through Sannetier village, which was the only way 
 to reach the chateau after the last train was in, unless 
 one climbed the Petite Louve and were let down by 
 ropes from the crags above. 
 
 She had not time to reason this out while Raumont 
 and Wasserufer rolled on the floor at grips with one 
 another and snarling like dogs. She would have 
 told you that fear paralysed her thinking faculties. 
 Nevertheless, her subconscious mind must have sent 
 some message to her brain which resulted in her 
 picking up the electric torch and passing through 
 the doorway that led down to the cavern. 
 
 As has been said, it opened inwards ; and the 
 book-case was provided with a band of strong webbing 
 attached to the back of it, so that it could be pulled 
 back into place by anyone standing in the doorway. 
 
 Vere succeeded in doing this, and shutting out the 
 sounds of bestial conflict. Then she turned and, 
 shaking so much that her teeth chattered, she addressed 
 herself to the dark descent. 
 
 Her throat was throbbing and the pain of her burns 
 severe enough to force itself on her attention had it 
 not been for the fear that drove her. As Ned had 
 told her, the stairs were in good condition and fairly 
 clean. She had one awful moment when something
 
 UNDER THE CELLARS 28l 
 
 flopped into the depths before her as she turned a 
 corner, and with a long-drawn hoot a little brown owl 
 pushed its way through a loophole and took flight. 
 
 Presently there were no more loopholes, and the 
 darkness was like being wrapped in a black blanket. 
 
 The movement, the coolness, the silence, were all 
 in her favour, but the cold was keen and she had 
 nothing over the charming frock which she had 
 donned to make herself look her best for Ned's coming. 
 
 At last she was at the stair-foot, and facing her 
 was a door secured by two heavy iron bars passed 
 through staples. It was all she could do to move 
 them, but she did so at last, and pushed open the 
 door, finding herself in the little chamber which had 
 been described to her. 
 
 This was about twelve feet square, and was closed 
 on the farther side by a wooden door, which looked 
 new. In it there were shelves ranged on one side, 
 and on these shelves were some small round objects 
 which Vere at once guessed must be bombs. They 
 were of different sizes, and had she been an expert 
 she would have known that they were of unusual 
 design. They lay on shavings and several of them 
 seemed to have been taken away for use elsewhere, 
 she said to herself. On the opposite side of the 
 chamber was a large cask, nearly full of liquid. 
 
 " Paraffin," said she to herself as she dipped a 
 cautious finger and tasted. It was, however, water, 
 and she wondered why it was there until she heard a 
 drop plash into it from the cavern roof far above. 
 An interval another drop. She had come upon one 
 of the favourite mediaeval designs for torture the 
 persistent drip ! 
 
 As she turned to move on she noticed some kind of
 
 282 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 cord or electric wire which came from outside the 
 door and was fastened to the shelf of shavings. At 
 a touch, thought she, from somewhere outside, these 
 bombs could be exploded. 
 
 Something whispered, " Suppose I make them 
 harmless ? " 
 
 There was not a sound, above or below ; she was 
 evidently quite alone. Setting the torch on a bracket, 
 she began to lift the bombs with great care and to 
 deposit them in the cask of water. It was a work of 
 time, for she had to place each down without shock, 
 and there must have been three dozen in all, each 
 capable of wholesale destruction. 
 
 " If this is their arsenal, then I have put a spoke 
 in their wheel," thought Vere, as she swept the shelves 
 clear of shavings, and plunged these also into the cask. 
 
 Having done this, she unlatched the farther door 
 and found herself in the main cavern. 
 
 This was awe-inspiring. Pitch-black gloom, empty, 
 echoing space. So far as the ray of her torch dis- 
 played it, there was nothing to be seen. She had 
 the sense to switch off her light and let her eyes focus 
 themselves to the darkness ; and after a while she 
 found, to her relief, that on her left she could just 
 make out the huge window-like space of Ned's descrip- 
 tion. The night glimmered through the foliage just 
 enough to differentiate it from the surrounding inky 
 blackness. As she advanced, she almost fell as her 
 feet struck against something. It was metal, fastened 
 into the rock, about four inches high. Stepping over 
 it, she came upon another, and guessed that it was 
 a pair of rails upon which something was intended to 
 run. It passed right out towards the window-space, 
 and she thought she would follow it inwards also.
 
 UNDER THE CELLARS 283 
 
 Not very far perhaps sixty or seventy feet back 
 from the window it ceased. Nothing was there to 
 indicate the use to which it had been or would be 
 put. The roof would probably supply an answer, but 
 her torch did not give enough light to reveal anything 
 so high up. 
 
 She searched around very carefully, her light upon 
 the rocky ground whereon she trod, in search of the 
 thing she felt sure must be there somewhere some 
 means of ascent to the cellar above. 
 
 The just perceptible grille was a guide to her sense 
 of direction. So long as she kept that on her left, she 
 was going forward ; but the cave seemed to her to 
 stretch for acres empty, black, terrible. She came 
 now to a place where there was a huge pier of uncut 
 rock like a pillar supporting the roof. Edging round 
 it with the utmost caution, she suddenly uttered a 
 gasp of relief ; for her light flickered upon something 
 a ladder a pair of steps ascending. 
 
 And then a voice said clearly : " Stand still ! I've 
 got you covered ! " 
 
 The first sound of it, echoing in that awful resonant 
 place, gave her a fearful shock ; but this was almost 
 instantly followed by such a rush of reaction, of 
 recognition, joy and hope, that she felt as if she 
 must suffocate. 
 
 " Ned ? " she managed to gasp. " Oh, Ned ! " 
 Then, more piercingly, " Ned, is it you ? Speak ! 
 Speak ! " 
 
 For a long moment there was silence, complete and 
 dreadful. It was a delusion then she had merely 
 thought she heard what she longed to hear. She 
 began to sob, hopelessly, sinking down upon the 
 ground in a forlorn heap, utterly undone and defeated.
 
 284 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Then, in the darkness, for she had extinguished the 
 torch instinctively in the first terror of hearing a 
 voice, she heard slight sounds, as of some man or 
 beast crawling or writhing along the ground towards 
 her. She held her breath in preparation for a shriek. 
 This was surely the climax. 
 
 " Switch on the light let's look at one another," 
 muttered a voice near her foot, and, in hearing it, 
 her heart leaped. She could not be mistaken. She 
 flashed her torch towards the place whence came the 
 voice ; and beheld an agonised face, whose chin 
 seemed to rest upon the floor. It was Ned ; and as 
 he caught sight of her he gave a pitiful whimper of 
 thanksgiving. 
 
 She crept to him. He was lying prone, his hands 
 bound behind his back, his legs also bound the whole 
 way down with rope. 
 
 " Oh, my boy, my poor boy, what have they done 
 to you ? " she panted, stooping over him. " Thank 
 God I've found you ! At least we can die together ! " 
 
 As if the sight, sound and touch of her had brought 
 him back to life, he suddenly laughed. " Die 
 nothing ! " he scoffed. " Quick, Vere, quick, I don't 
 believe they went through me feel in my waistcoat 
 pocket see if my penknife's there. ..." 
 
 In a twinkling she had set down the torch on the 
 ground, and her fingers were searching him feverishly. 
 
 " It's there ! Oh, Ned, I've got it. Lie still, I'll 
 free your hands ! " 
 
 Fortunately the little knife was sharp, but, for all 
 that, she could not accomplish her task as fast as 
 she had hoped. However, at last it was done, and, 
 with a groan of mixed agony and relief, he let his 
 arms fall at his sides.
 
 UNDER THE CELLARS 285 
 
 " Now I'll roll you over," she said, " and cut these 
 awful ropes." 
 
 " I can't help you," he whispered, raging. " You 
 must do it all, I've got no feeling in my fingers." 
 
 " I'll rub them in a minute," she soothed. " There ! 
 That's through ! Now let me unwind two or three 
 twists ! Now you can sit up ! Will you try ? " 
 
 With her help he was raised to a sitting posture, and 
 leaned forward, supporting himself with his two hands 
 on either side, while she unwound and cut and slashed 
 the bonds from his legs. 
 
 He could not at first attempt to stand ; he sat 
 there panting and gasping, while Vere, utterly for- 
 getting her own hurts, rubbed his wrists and ankles 
 gently. 
 
 After a minute or two " They took out the gag 
 to let me drink some water," he muttered. " They 
 laid me on straw. There's a perfect stack of straw 
 along there . . . and paraffin tins and old, dry, 
 empty casks . . . they must be intending to blow this 
 place up . . ." 
 
 ' Yes, but we'll be out of it, won't we ? When 
 you called out, I had just caught sight of the way 
 up," she replied. 
 
 " The way up ? " 
 
 ' Yes. There's a ladder with steps, not rungs, just 
 a little way farther on. As soon as you can stand we'll 
 make for it. Oh, Ned, Ned, how did they get you ? " 
 
 He cursed himself for a credulous fool. " But right 
 there, in the very League of Nations' premises, it 
 didn't seem possible . . . doped me with my own 
 anaesthetic ! and then they must have passed me 
 out through a window that isn't overlooked, and 
 carried me to a waiting car."
 
 286 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Oh, Ned ! Ned ! I believe I actually drove up 
 here in the car with you in it ! I thought you were 
 
 sacks of potatoes " She proceeded to tell him how 
 
 she had been given a message purporting to come from 
 him to say he could not get back in time for dinner. 
 As she talked he was rapidly coming to himself, filling 
 his lungs with the cold air. 
 
 " Why should they want to kill you ? " she cried. 
 
 " Because I'm the only witness against them as 
 regards this place " 
 
 " Nonsense, Ned. Charles knows " 
 
 " Good God, yes Charles knows " 
 
 " He wanted to come up here with me, but she 
 wouldn't let him well, there wasn't room ; and 
 perhaps she thought it wouldn't be safe, as they had 
 to get you unpacked without being seen but, oh, 
 Ned, somehow they'll get him. ..." 
 
 " Well, it won't much matter to us what happens 
 afterwards if they set this stuff alight that's down 
 here," he remarked gruffly. " Now, Vere, if you 
 scramble up and let me have a grip on you, I think 
 I could stand." 
 
 Very slowly he arose, his arm locked about her 
 neck. Together they stood ; and suddenly the girl's 
 head went down upon his shoulder and she hid her 
 eyes in the hollow under his gaunt chin. Neither said 
 a word. Love-making was the last thing in their 
 minds. Only the aching sweetness of sheer contact 
 comforted them. 
 
 " Come," she implored him after a while, " let us 
 climb those steps they must lead somewhere " 
 
 " Yes," he murmured shakily, one hand pressing 
 her little head closer ; and for another minute she 
 yielded, listening to the strong throbbing of his heart.
 
 UNDER THE CELLARS 287 
 
 " Better now ? " she whispered at last. He mutely 
 assented, and, holding up her torch, she led him to 
 the foot of the step-ladder. It seemed quite firm, and 
 there was a rope guide fixed on one side of it to make 
 the ascent easier. Vere went first, and as she climbed 
 the necessity for the rope rail became evident. The 
 steps went up and up so far that her head swam. At 
 last they passed into the mouth of a rock tunnel or 
 passage, and there she turned and held her light down 
 to guide the ascent of Ned, who was by no means 
 steady on his legs as yet. 
 
 The tunnel was just large enough for her to stand 
 upright in it, but he had to stoop. It went upward 
 in a sloping direction, and ascended sharply, so sharply 
 that every here and there a step had been cut to 
 facilitate the climber. 
 
 " This is newly made," whispered Ned. 
 
 Cautiously they went on, always in the same direc- 
 tion, until they came to four steep steps with a narrow 
 door at the head of them. It was substantially but 
 roughly made, of oak planks, and had a cheap-looking 
 latch, which proved, however, impossible to move. 
 First Vere, then Ned, tried it every way. It was no 
 use. The door was evidently fastened from the other 
 side. 
 
 It was a blow. After coming so far they could not 
 bear to think of returning. Vere alternately pushed 
 and pulled, raised and lowered the latch, until suddenly 
 she distinctly heard a click as though someone on the 
 other side had released a catch. Instantly the door 
 yielded to her pressure and lamplight streamed in 
 upon them. 
 
 They advanced, blinking from the darkness, and 
 found themselves standing in the Baronne's boudoir,
 
 288 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 with the Baronne herself seated near the lamp, a 
 piece of embroidery in her hands, her face that of one 
 mildly surprised to see visitors. 
 
 Someone else was seated beside her. It was the 
 padre, Charles Hardcastle. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI GILLES TRIUMPHS 
 
 THE expression on Diane's face as the two begrimed 
 and tousled creatures emerged into the room was 
 that of sheer amazement. In pressing her foot upon 
 the catch which opened the door, she had believed 
 herself to be admitting either her husband or Raumont. 
 She pushed back her chair and her thimble clattered on 
 the waxed floor. 
 
 Charles sprang to his feet. " Ned ! What on 
 earth I came up to make inquiries about you, 
 and the Baronne said she had no idea where you were." 
 
 " But the mystery is solved," said Diane with a 
 malicious laugh. " You've been exploring those 
 cellars with which your mind appears to be so 
 obsessed, haven't you, doctor ? But, if Vere wished 
 to accompany you, she should first have changed into 
 more suitable clothes." 
 
 " I had no time to think about clothes," mumbled 
 Vere almost inaudibly. Her experiences of that night 
 had shaken her profoundly, and for the moment she 
 was conscious of little save physical exhaustion. 
 
 Charles crossed the room to where Ned stood grasp- 
 ing the back of a chair and staring before him with 
 eyes which were dazzled by the light after hours of 
 darkness. As he lowered him carefully into a seat
 
 GILLES TRIUMPHS 289 
 
 the padre was trying to account for his battered 
 appearance. He could only suppose that he must 
 have been despatched by Lord Billie upon some secret 
 exploration of the underworld of the castle some 
 mission in the course of which he had been detected, 
 attacked and half killed. . . . But how, in the name 
 of wonder, came Vere to be involved ? 
 
 Diane stood staring fixedly at her niece. She was 
 even more at a loss than Charles to account for what 
 she saw, but realised that for a short time longer it 
 was necessary to walk warily and to wear a mask. 
 " I thought you were with your uncle, Vere," said 
 she silkily. 
 
 " I was . . . with your German husband," muttered 
 the girl as though hardly able to speak. 
 
 " And where is he ? " 
 
 " I don't know," doggedly. 
 
 " Where was he when you left him ? " 
 
 A spark kindled in the sunken eyes. 
 
 " In the tower room. Gilles was trying to kill him." 
 
 " You little liar ! " broke out Diane angrily. " What 
 are you talking about ? And, pray, what were you 
 doing in Gilles' private room ? " 
 
 " You had better ask him. He tied me up look ! " 
 She held out her arms, scorched and blackened, with 
 the jagged ends of the burnt rope clinging to them. 
 
 Ned was by this time recapturing his scattered 
 senses, still bemused by the fumes of the drug, and 
 he uttered a growl of wrath at the pitiful sight, and 
 the awful possibilities suggested by her words. *, ^ 
 
 ' Vere ! " he cried in an agony of apprehension ; 
 but she was past answering him. The experiences of 
 the few preceding hours had been too much for her, and 
 she fainted for the first time in her healthy young life.
 
 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 Diane saw it. Until the girl came to there could 
 be no more revelations, and in the few minutes' delay 
 thus granted she must find out what had really 
 happened. 
 
 Her hand, she began to fear, had been forced not 
 so much by any of these three people as by the two 
 men upstairs. Their insurgent passions, their bestial 
 desires, had so carried them away that they had 
 allowed Vere to slip through their fingers and release 
 Ned. 
 
 Her discomfort and foreboding had been growing, 
 ever since Stein came back from Veyrier with his 
 incredible report that there had been no passengers 
 in the car which was blown up. 
 
 That staggered her. Had Vere concocted that 
 message herself, or had Bill Armitage known of their 
 tactics and dictated an untrue story ? If he had done 
 so, then he must have been already deeply suspicious ; 
 and the dropping of the bomb must have confirmed 
 and crystallised his suspicions into certainty. 
 
 Until that moment she had felt but little disquiet, 
 for there was no reason why the public should connect 
 the two explosions one with the other. The Maison 
 Baldwin was in Switzerland, Veyrier in France. 
 Nobody but a quiet handful of secret service men 
 was interested in both. Now, however, she sensed 
 real danger. Armitage was clever, and for aught she 
 knew he might be able to obtain leave to search the 
 castle. 
 
 She wanted to communicate with Luitpold and 
 Gilles, and they both appeared to have vanished, just 
 at the critical moment. She was very loath to go to 
 the extreme length of touching off the fuses which 
 would blow d'Almier to the skies ; but if there was
 
 GILLES TRIUMPHS 
 
 any real risk of a visit from those armed with an 
 official warrant, it might come to that. 
 
 Vere's collapse had so entirely engrossed the atten- 
 tion of both the men that she was able to slip from the 
 room and lock them in without their being aware of it. 
 
 In the hall, behind a picture, were the inconspicuous 
 pushes which Gilles had arranged to touch off the 
 fuses. She glanced at them as she paused at the 
 stair-foot and called first to Luitpold and then to 
 Gilles without receiving an answer. After a moment's 
 thought she went to the kitchen where Branting was 
 sitting poring over a newspaper. 
 
 " Branting," said she, " do you know where your 
 master is ? " 
 
 The man said he did not. " Did you put my lug- 
 gage in the big car ? " 
 ' Yes. It is there." 
 
 " And the car is down in the Place at Sannetier, 
 under the trees in the dark ? " 
 
 " Yes. It is where you tell me to put it. You not 
 want it to-night hein ? " 
 
 " I'm not sure," she said shakily. " I might. Is 
 Stein on the look-out to see that no car comes up the 
 hill ? " 
 
 " Yes. He come in for a bite of supper and go 
 back. His wife watches by the Gueule de Loup, to see 
 nobody slink up that way." 
 
 " All right. I may want you all presently ... we 
 have Dr. Coverley, the padre and my niece, all in the 
 boudoir and I have turned the key " 
 
 The man gave a startled exclamation. " But the 
 doctor, he was unten ..." 
 
 " Yes yes, he was somehow I don't know how 
 my niece reached him and released him."
 
 2Q2 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Well," Branting scratched his hairy cheek, " per- 
 haps they do as well there as anywhere. All three 
 together, hein ? Make one job of it. But how did 
 the girl get at our prisoner ? " 
 
 Diane spread out her hands to express her mystifi- 
 cation. She was badly rattled, as the man saw. She 
 looked years older than usual as she left the kitchen 
 and made her way upstairs. 
 
 It was about two hours after her fetching of Vere 
 away from the hotel that the call which was to lure 
 Hardcastle came through. That Galatian Secretary, 
 whose voice closely resembled that of Georgia Rilescu, 
 rang up from Geneva with a message purporting to 
 be from Coverley, to say that the patient was sinking, 
 a priest was wanted, and a car was being sent up to 
 bring the padre down. As the matter was urgent, 
 he was asked to walk out to the main road, and down 
 the hill as far as he could to pick up the car. As this 
 message was taken by the hotel porter, everyone at 
 the " Charmant " knew that when Hardcastle set out, 
 his destination was Geneva. 
 
 As a fact, he had no sooner gained the main road 
 than he found Branting waiting for him with the car 
 from the chateau. It was explained that hardly had 
 they telephoned when the end came. The doctor was 
 returning at once and was anxious for Hardcastle to 
 meet him at d'Almier as he had serious news for him. 
 
 The padre arrived at the castle not three minutes 
 after Vere's screams had resounded in the night, heard 
 by Gilles, who was prowling about outside in a pre- 
 tended search for the girl, to pacify Diane. Hardly 
 had he rushed indoors and fled upstairs to the rescue, 
 when Hardcastle alighted at the castle gate, and 
 Branting, according to his mistress's orders, ran the
 
 GILLES TRIUMPHS 2Q3 
 
 car down as far as the village and parked it in a dark 
 corner, while the Baronne, bewildered by the absence 
 of her two allies, made conversation with her guest 
 until they should have decided what to do with 
 him. 
 
 When she reached the landing after speaking to 
 Branting, Diane looked into Vere's room, but all was 
 quiet there. In fact there was not a sound in the 
 house. Could there be any truth in the story of a 
 serious affray between Gilles and Luitpold ? If so, 
 where had it taken place ? In the tower room ? 
 
 She shivered slightly as she began to ascend the 
 winding stair. It always tried her breathing, and this 
 evening she had been undergoing strain of an acute 
 kind. 
 
 Shrilly she called, when half-way up, first for her 
 husband, then for Gilles . . . after a minute she 
 heard the door of the laboratory open and Gilles spoke 
 stammeringly. 
 
 " T-that Diane ? W-want me ? " 
 
 " Want you ? Of course I do ! What in the name 
 of common sense are you doing up there ? Where's 
 Loo ? Is he up there with you ? " 
 
 The reply was not immediate and when it came it 
 sounded muffled. " He was here, but he's not here 
 now. He went er down the tower stair." 
 
 " What for ? To see what Coverley was doing ? " 
 
 " I I suppose so. To see if all was clear. No 
 need for you to come up any farther, I'm coming 
 down now." 
 
 After another brief delay she heard his step and the 
 shutting of the door. Then he descended slowly, she 
 preceding him. Dark as it was, she sensed something 
 unusual in his manner and voice.
 
 2Q4 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 On the landing a light burned dimly, but it was 
 behind his head as he stood. 
 
 " Well," said she bitterly, " I suppose it was you 
 who connived at the escape of the little cat ? You 
 will be delighted to hear that she found her way safely 
 through the cavern, and has set her lover free." 
 
 ' Has she indeed ? She has pluck, hasn't she ? " 
 he replied hardily. " But how do you know ? " 
 
 " How do I know ? " her voice shook with passion. 
 " Why, I was sitting in the boudoir trying to keep 
 Hardcastle amused until one of you should turn up. 
 I heard someone rattling the latch of the secret door 
 and took it for granted it was Loo, because I knew he 
 had gone down there ; so I released the spring and 
 in they both walked. So there they are, all three 
 together, and I've locked them in." 
 
 " Oh ! Then you've got Hardcastle too. Clever ! " 
 " Yes, it's all done. Everyone believes those two 
 are both in Geneva. As for the girl it will be a long 
 time before any inquiry is made after her I can write 
 in her name to her father and tell him she's ill then, 
 after an interval, that she died in my arms. No 
 difficulty about that ; and when the dump goes up 
 they'll never know what hit them." 
 
 Gilles stared at her with a curious blankness. " When 
 the dump goes up ? You mean to touch off the fuses 
 to-night ? " 
 
 She bit her lip and her brow was stormy. " I think 
 it may be the best way, honestly. There's only one 
 conclusion to be drawn. Vere has been acting the spy 
 and she knows a great deal too much. ..." 
 
 Gilles permitted himself a secret smile. If Diane 
 knew exactly how much . . . and if she knew that 
 lie Lad known for days past . . .
 
 GILLES TRIUMPHS 295 
 
 " If only we could find Loo," muttered Diane 
 impatiently, " I really think we had better be off. 
 We need not go right away unless it is absolutely 
 necessary wait at Bonneville and let the Steins 
 report. Leave them to touch off the fuses if they see 
 reason to ... only ... in that case, what shall we 
 do with the prisoners ? " 
 
 Gilles looked as if only half attentive. " What do 
 you propose ? You've got them here, I suppose you 
 know what you intended to do with them ? " 
 
 " Of course, I intended to send Hardcastle down to 
 the cavern to see this mythical dying or dead man. 
 Then Ned and he could have been disposed of together, 
 without going to the length of the big explosion. 
 But now that they are both up in the boudoir, I don't 
 know what to say. Shall Branting go to the boudoir 
 door, slide open the little panel and shoot them both 
 through the peep-hole ? " 
 
 " The two men, if you like. Not Vere. You under- 
 stand that I won't stand for Vere's murder. I'm 
 going to marry her. Best to be explicit." 
 
 There was a long, hideous silence. Then Diane 
 began to laugh rather horribly, twisting her strong 
 hands as if she wished they were about Vere's throat. 
 The man winced from the ugly sight, but he went on 
 inexorably : " We've exploited her, tried to corrupt 
 her, used her shamefully ; but as long as I'm alive 
 she shan't be murdered." 
 
 The Baronne might have known that threats and 
 abuse would only stiffen him, but she had gone past 
 the point at which she could control her tongue. He 
 turned from the torrent of her invective with an 
 angry snarl and descended into the entrance hall. 
 She followed, scolding and gesticulating ; but checked
 
 296 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 herself, startled, as she reached the foot of the stairs ; 
 for the telephone was ringing in the violent fashion 
 adopted by operatives at night, when people may 
 have to be awakened. 
 
 Gilles took off the receiver and listened. Diane, 
 fuming and seething, yet crept close to hear the 
 message. 
 
 " Radkin," said Gilles gravely, as he replaced the 
 receiver. " A warning. May be nothing in it ; but 
 they've lost Bill Armitage and his friends Forsythe 
 and Beresford, so he thinks it possible that a raid may 
 have been planned." 
 
 " Well, now we positively must find Loo and tell him 
 that I know he'll vote for touching off the fuses. . . ." 
 
 " Most likely," murmured Gilles absently. He was 
 thinking hard. He, Branting and Stein were only 
 three. Armitage had his two friends, his chauffeur, 
 his body-servant and very likely a couple of secret 
 service men into the bargain. 
 
 It dawned upon him that, in the event of the appear- 
 ance of half a dozen picked fellows, doubtless armed, 
 the only way in which to keep the secret of his gun 
 would be the extreme way which Wasserufer had 
 planned as a last resort. 
 
 There was in fact a small mine which could be 
 exploded by opening the door of the wine-cellar in the 
 yard ; but it was, at the moment, disconnected. In 
 any case, he was not going to be found with prisoners 
 on his hands ; and the first result of his cogitations 
 was an involuntary movement towards the door of 
 the boudoir. 
 
 Diane, watching like a cat, saw the move, darted 
 between him and his objective and whipped out a 
 revolver.
 
 GILLES TRIUMPHS 297 
 
 " The moment you unlock that door, Gilles, under- 
 stand, I shall shoot Vere." 
 
 She had hardly spoken when Raumont seemed to 
 become a totally different person. He had been 
 morose, subdued, like one whose own future has 
 ceased to interest him. Now suddenly he was his own 
 man again. The challenge was like a bugle call. 
 
 In an instant he was upon Diane, had flung his arms 
 around her, and issued the short, sharp command : 
 " Drop that gun ! " 
 
 She writhed and struggled, silent except for her 
 quick, sobbing breath ; but in half a minute the re- 
 volver fell from her hand. He dragged her forward, 
 under the hall lamp, holding her two elbows fast in 
 his merciless grip. " Now look at me ! Don't waste 
 time, Diane ! Look at me, I say ! " 
 
 For so long she had been as wax to his moulding, 
 and his touch had lost none of its magnetic power. 
 Her eyes were lifted to his, frightened, appealing. 
 " Don't hurt me, Gilles ! " 
 
 " Hurt you, who wants to hurt you ? Didn't I tell 
 you this affair was a trial of strength between you 
 and me ? Think you're going to defy me, do you ? 
 Why, you're my slave, the instrument of my will ! 
 Say, ' I shall do whatever you tell me.' ' 
 
 She repeated the words. Her gaze, held to his 
 by the dominance of the personality to which she 
 had utterly succumbed, grew blank and wide. She 
 ceased to sob and began to breathe thinly as in 
 sleep. 
 
 " You will go up to your room, dress for travelling, 
 come down here, and take my further orders." 
 
 She obeyed without a word, moving away upstairs 
 with a fixed expression like somnambulism.
 
 2Q8 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 He went to the kitchen. " Branting, did you hear 
 the telephone ? " 
 
 ' Yes, I heard it." 
 
 " They have just rung up from Bonneville, the 
 Baronne is wanted there at once. Escort her down 
 to where you left the car put her in, and drive her 
 there without delay." 
 
 Branting stood up. " And the Herr ? Those his 
 orders ? " 
 
 " Certainly." 
 
 The man grumbled a little. When was he to have 
 any sleep? and so on. Gilles gave him a stiff grog, 
 which had the effect of sweetening his temper con- 
 siderably. When Diane swept down the stairs, he was 
 ready. They passed out together and Gilles breathed 
 a great sigh of relief and mopped his brow. He had 
 yet the greatest difficulty before him to get his 
 prisoners out of the house before the arrival of the 
 possible raiders. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII GILLES CAPITULATES 
 
 CHARLES had hardly noticed either the departure of 
 the Baronne from the boudoir or her continued 
 absence, so absorbed was he in the condition of the 
 two prisoners. 
 
 He and Ned between them laid down Vere upon a 
 sofa, and he went to search a work-box that stood on 
 the table for scissors, while Ned limped to where the 
 usual tray of spirits and glasses stood, poured himself 
 a dose of brandy and drank it. This steadied him 
 and he got shakily down on his knees by the side of
 
 GILLES CAPITULATES 299 
 
 Vere, Charles working to sever the ropes on her wrists 
 before she regained consciousness, that she might not 
 feel the pain. At last her lids rose and she stared 
 wide-eyed upon him. 
 
 " Why, hallo, Charles ! Thank God you're here ! 
 How's . . . Ned ? " 
 
 Ned bent over her, his eyes wide with a fear that 
 must instantly be allayed. " My girl, tell me are 
 you all right ? That beast he didn't . . . ? " He 
 was trembling with suspense. 
 
 She shook her head vigorously. " Gilles came . . . 
 Just in time ..." She gasped twice or thrice, then 
 turned her face to his, pressing her cheek against his 
 own. " Ugh ! Ned for pity's sake don't let me 
 think about it ! " 
 
 " Get her some brandy and water, Charles," said 
 Ned, his changed voice testifying to his vast relief. 
 " She isn't fit to walk upstairs yet have you got any 
 vaseline up there, Vere ? " 
 
 " Yes shall I get it ? " 
 
 " Presently. Drink this first." 
 
 While she did so, Charles told how he had been 
 lured to the chateau. 
 
 " Well," remarked Ned when he had finished, 
 " there seems little doubt that they've got it in for 
 both of us " 
 
 " They have, oh, they have ! " gasped Vere. 
 course they may have been frightening me, trying to 
 bluff me, but they said the whole place was mined 
 and they were going to blow it up ! Come ! " She sat 
 up with determination. " Don't let's lose a minute 
 let's be off while the going's good ! Leave everything 
 and run ! I suppose neither of you has a pop-gun ? " 
 
 " What about your wrists ? " cried Ned, irresolute.
 
 300 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Oh, Ned, it's a question of life and death blow 
 my wrists, let's get out of it," she urged, darting to the 
 door. 
 
 Then she turned, with a laugh of despair. " Locked ! 
 We might have known it." 
 
 " Locked ! " Without wasting a moment, Charles 
 ran to one of the windows, drawing back a curtain. 
 
 " Not the least good. They're all barred," said 
 Vere. 
 
 " What about going down into the vault again and 
 up through the tower ? " 
 
 " A hundred chances to one they've barred the 
 door against us," replied the girl despairingly, " and 
 if we have to be blown to bits, I'd sooner have it 
 happen here than be trapped down there wouldn't 
 you ? At least I can see Ned . . . Oh, Ned, I've 
 such a 1-lot to say to you, and n-no time to say it ! " 
 
 " Have a try," encouraged Charles. " I'm going 
 to prowl around for something to force this lock. I'm 
 not paying the smallest attention to you two." 
 
 In the shadow of the woods, just below the part of 
 the garden where lay the tennis-ground, where the hill 
 was extremely steep and the narrow road formed a 
 sharp corner, three shadows detached themselves with- 
 out noise and slipped into the garden itself. Some 
 directions were given, in the faintest whisper, and a 
 few men remained behind while Billie and Pat Beres- 
 ford, with Emberson, advanced with the utmost 
 caution to the terrace. 
 
 All was so quiet and normal in appearance up at the 
 chateau that it seemed ridiculous to be planning a raid 
 on so peaceful a spot. The front door stood open, the
 
 GILLES CAPITULATES 301 
 
 light from the hanging lamp within falling upon the 
 steps and across the gravel of the drive. 
 
 Carefully avoiding its beams, the raiders crept up 
 close to the wall of the house itself, and stood in the 
 deep shadow caused by the outer wall on one side and 
 the projection of the steps on the other. They were 
 but just in time, for they had hardly gained their 
 objective when the shadow of someone approaching 
 from within was flung along the beam of lamplight 
 and the next moment the Baronne appeared in the 
 doorway, accompanied by Raumont and Branting. 
 
 " Well au revoir," said Raumont carelessly. 
 " Ring us up to-morrow morning and say how she is." 
 
 Diane made no reply at all. She went carefully 
 down the steps, Branting holding her lightly by one 
 arm. He was thinking that Raumont was a brainy 
 one. The fewer inhabitants left in the chateau while 
 the prisoners were disposed of, the better. How easy 
 it would be to make it appear that they had accom- 
 plished their own destruction ! No doubt old Papa 
 Wasserufer had thought of that ! As for the girl, she 
 would be saved all right. Trust both the men for 
 that ! Branting was sniggering to himself as he went 
 on down the road ; and still Diane said nothing at all, 
 but moved on with set face. He must stop a minute 
 and tell Stein that the two men had the place to 
 themselves ! 
 
 When his footsteps had almost died away, Raumont 
 turned and went back to the hall. He had been 
 listening keenly, but he heard nothing to awaken 
 suspicion. Yet he was full of deep foreboding. 
 
 When Billie returned home that evening, after a 
 day full of thrills but on the whole successful, he had 
 rung Ned up at the " Charmant," to fix with him the time
 
 302 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 next day at which he was to bring Vere to Eaux 
 Vives. To his immense astonishment, he was told 
 that Dr. Coverley had left the hotel for Geneva soon 
 after lunch, in response to his, Billie's, urgent sum- 
 mons ; and that Mr. Hardcastle had also left after tea, 
 for the same destination and in great haste. 
 
 Bill, from the moment when the bomb on the empty 
 car had revealed to him the identity of the bomber, had 
 been wondering what he should do ; but this intelli- 
 gence, of the disappearance of both Vere's protectors, 
 rattled him terribly. In reply to his inquiry con- 
 cerning Miss Merton he was told that the Baronne had 
 taken her back to d'Almier ; and all in a moment he 
 felt that he had underrated the danger, and that he 
 must investigate forthwith. 
 
 It was never difficult to enlist Forsythe and Beres- 
 ford in a ploy of this kind, and Emberson, who was 
 himself a Secret Service man and dearly loved a 
 scrap, was waiting like a dog who hopes his master 
 will throw him a stick. It happened that another 
 S.S. man who had that day helped in the safe con- 
 veying of the reckless royal pair was with Forsythe 
 when the summons came ; and of course Barrett could 
 not be left out. These choice spirits having been 
 collected, they all packed into a big touring car, and 
 drove to the village of Sannetier, where they left the 
 car in an hotel yard and proceeded up the hill, taking 
 cover of the woods the whole way, to the castle. 
 
 And now, what should Billie do ? Should he simply 
 hail Gilles and walk jauntily in through the open door ? 
 He had an idea that, were he to do so, he might never 
 walk out again. He had been struck by something 
 most unusual in the man's appearance. 
 
 Stepping without noise in indiarubber soles, he
 
 GILLES CAPITULATES 303 
 
 peeped into the hall and saw Raumont standing there 
 with his back to him as if in deep deliberation. After 
 a moment he began to move onwards, still walking 
 away from the door, and Billie measured the distance 
 between himself and the passage which ran to the 
 left, leading to the kitchen. 
 
 There was not an instant for hesitation. He took 
 his chance, sprang forward, and was out of sight in 
 the mouth of the passage just as Gilles paused before 
 the boudoir door. 
 
 Billie was quite near him, could see him stoop and 
 pick up something from the floor it looked like a 
 revolver. He swung it to and fro as if not quite 
 certain what he meant to do, but at last put up his 
 hand and pushed back a tiny panel in the boudoir 
 door. It was at the level of his eyes, about three 
 inches square and protected with strong wire netting. 
 
 " Are you there, Hardcastle ? " he asked quietly. 
 ' We are," came the voice of the padre promptly. 
 " Will you let us out, please ? " 
 
 " I have come for that purpose," was the reply. 
 "But before I release you , tell me who is there with you ? ' ' 
 
 " As I think you already know, Miss Merton and 
 Dr. Coverley." 
 
 " Yes. Well, the case stands thus. Dr. Coverley 
 and you are in possession of knowledge which would 
 be injurious to me if made known. Do you admit it ? " 
 
 " We do." 
 
 " Good. You are at this moment safely locked into 
 a room from which you cannot escape without much 
 trouble and difficulty. I am in control of switches 
 which will blow this castle into the air long before 
 you could win out. I am prepared to let you both 
 go free before I do this, on two conditions. First
 
 304 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 that you each swear to me never to say a word to 
 anyone on the subject of your secret knowledge I 
 pay you the compliment of feeling sure you will keep 
 your oath ; and secondly that, before passing out, 
 you hand Miss Merton over to me." 
 
 " As far as the first condition goes, I am quite 
 willing to agree," said Hardcastle promptly. " The 
 secrets of this castle are not my affair and I do not 
 propose to make them so. As regards Miss Merton, 
 nobody can answer for her. She does as she chooses." 
 
 " Before she replies," said Gilles, " I should like 
 her to understand the exact position of affairs. The 
 Baronne has left the castle, and will not return to- 
 night. There is no reason why Vere should ever see 
 her again. Herr Wasserufer has also left. She is 
 safe and free from them both for the future. What 
 she has to promise is to marry me, and in return she 
 wins life and liberty for you both." 
 
 There was a sound from within which sounded like 
 Vere's derisive laugh. 
 
 " Go it, Gilles ! " said she, " that's jolly good. And 
 suppose I say No, are you going to blow me sky high 
 with these two ? You know perfectly well that 
 you're not ! You also know that I'd sooner die with 
 Ned than live with you. In fact, we've all been 
 saying our prayers and getting ready for the fatal 
 moment " 
 
 " What's that I hear Coverley muttering ? " cut in 
 Gilles fiercely. 
 
 " He's saying you're all kinds of a fool if you think 
 he's going to purchase his life at the cost of my happi- 
 ness," said Vere, still gaily. " You knew it all before 
 you began this palaver, didn't you, Gilles ? Fact is 
 we've all been too much to the films this is sheer
 
 GILLES CAPITULATES 305 
 
 melodrama ! I told you, upstairs, that there was 
 nothing doing. Can't you drop it and open the door ? 
 Listen, here's a sporting offer. In return for our 
 three lives and liberty, we all swear never to say a 
 word of all this. You can do what you like, go where 
 you like, we'll never tell anyone about this hold-up 
 
 " That you can be making fun of me at such a 
 moment ! " 
 
 " Well, what else can I do ? You're behaving like 
 a perfect ass ! Pull yourself together and open the 
 door ! It's probably your last chance. If Aunt Diane 
 has gone, it looks as if she thought the ship was sinking." 
 
 " You know that I won't go without you, Vere 
 
 " And I know you won't leave me here to be blown 
 up, so what's the use of pretending to be a bold, bad 
 brigand ? " 
 
 " Do you all three swear never to say a word about 
 the cavern ? " 
 
 Ned's voice broke in, clear and stern. " Only fair 
 to you to say that Armitage knows all I know about 
 it," he said. " Whom else he may have told I can't 
 say." 
 
 There was a pause. 
 
 " At that rate there doesn't seem to be much point 
 in killing us because we know it," said Hardcastle 
 after a minute. 
 
 Gilles snorted. " Armitage may not live to use his 
 knowledge. If he tries to get in through the stable- 
 yard 
 
 " He won't "this was Vere. " I've told him not to." 
 
 " You've told him not to," gibed Gilles. He seemed 
 to reflect a moment. " Are any of you armed ? " 
 
 " Yes," cried Vere, " I've got a poker ! " 
 
 " I mean guns." 
 
 U
 
 306 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " We have no guns," said Ned shortly. 
 
 " Well, I have ; and I'm coming in to fetch Vere out." 
 
 " If you wish to survive this festive evening, I warn 
 you not to try that." 
 
 " I could pick you both off through this grille " 
 
 " If we were fools enough to stand for you to pot 
 at ! Come, Raumont, you're neither going to shoot 
 us down in cold blood, nor to blow us sky-high with a 
 bomb ; because we are not your enemies. By the 
 way, are you alone in the house ? " 
 
 " For the moment. So you will see that I dare not 
 let you out." 
 
 " Why not ? We don't bite ! " from Vere. 
 
 " Vere, you've beaten me ! You've beaten me all 
 along the line ! " he burst out. " If you three are 
 not my enemies, at least I am yours ! " 
 
 " Nothing of the kind," she replied, and her voice 
 told Billie that her face was very near the grille. 
 " You are going to let us out, and we'll all be friends. 
 Come, be a sport. Let us out without conditions 
 just because I ask you ! Be the man I think you ! 
 You won't regret it." 
 
 A few seconds ticked by and the man's hand went 
 up to the key. " Only one condition," he said in a 
 strangled voice. "If I unlock this door will you 
 swear not to come out for ten minutes ? To give me 
 that much start ? " 
 
 There was a chorus of assent from within. 
 
 " Good-bye, then." 
 
 There was a look on the face of Gilles, as he turned 
 the key, which assured Bill that unless he were arrested 
 at once it would be too late. 
 
 He lifted his revolver, handled it, grasped it pur- 
 posefully and made for the front door blindly, not
 
 GILLES CAPITULATES 307 
 
 seeing where he went. As he reached the stair-foot 
 he was taken. He hardly resisted. 
 
 When Billie had seen the arrest effected, he turned 
 away with a sigh. Striding to the unlocked door, he 
 flung it open and stared at the three within. Vere 
 the dauntless, after the strain of keeping her end up 
 during those trying moments, had sunk down on the 
 sofa, and Ned was comforting her, while Charles, with 
 his back discreetly turned, ran his eye along the 
 book-shelves, his watch in his hand. 
 
 After the first outburst of thankfulness, of explana- 
 tion and inquiries, it was realised that Vere was quite 
 severely burned ; and Ned undertook to go upstairs 
 with her to her room and find some vaseline and wool 
 to bind the hurts, if the other two would guarantee 
 that no mine would go up during the process. 
 
 " You've got the Baronne," he said, " and you've 
 got Raumont ; but you haven't got the unspeakable 
 Uncle Loo." 
 
 The search began forthwith. By this time all the 
 remaining members of the raiding party had invaded 
 the place, and the three switches in the hall were 
 found and disconnected. 
 
 In and out of the rooms they padded noiselessly, 
 and nothing escaped their notice. The place through- 
 out bore abundant evidence that it was to be abandoned. 
 All was in order, nothing left about. Clothes and other 
 personal belongings had been packed and removed. 
 
 Still they could not believe that everyone was 
 gone. They still feared some deadly trap, for they 
 knew the wiliness of Wasserufer. 
 
 And at last they found him. They had been once
 
 308 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 all round the orderly, neatly-arranged laboratory, 
 where still a little fire burned on the stone hearth. 
 When Billie asked them if they had investigated the 
 stone staircase, they thought he meant the short one 
 leading up into Gilles' bedroom and said they had. 
 
 Presently, however, when, with Ned's help, Vere had 
 packed her belongings and her trunks had been carried 
 downstairs, they asked her where Wasserufer was 
 when she saw him last. 
 
 She told them that Gilles and he were fighting, 
 rolling on the ground, in the tower room. They went 
 up again, therefore, led this time by Billie himself. 
 After a while they moved the book-case and the men 
 had to own that this had not been done before. The 
 stair door was opened, and, holding their lights down- 
 ward, they saw two feet protruding from a mass of 
 straw and crumpled paper soaked in paraffin. 
 
 Wasserufer lay head downwards on the twisting 
 stone steps, and he was a terrible sight. 
 
 Gilles, when interrogated, made no secret of having 
 killed him, but maintained that it was in a fight of 
 self-defence ; and when they stripped their prisoner 
 they found abundant confirmation of his assertion 
 that it was a near thing. He was so bruised and beaten 
 that it seemed almost impossible that he should have 
 been able to carry on. He had, in fact, lain uncon- 
 scious for many minutes before realising that he must 
 at all costs bestir himself to push the corpse of his foe 
 somewhere out of sight, clear the room of traces of 
 the conflict, and conceal the death from Diane. 
 
 " I suppose it's a case of a firing-party at dawn," he 
 remarked quietly. " Pity. I'm a clever chap in my 
 way and my gun's a great invention. If the English 
 hadn't been such idiots they might have had the
 
 GILLES CAPITULATES 309 
 
 secret ; but I was so jeered at and insulted by the 
 ignorant amateurs who ran everything for you people 
 at the beginning of the war, that I offered it in another 
 quarter." 
 
 " Have they got all the specifications in Berlin ? " 
 asked Billie. 
 
 Gilles smiled. " Yes, they've got everything except 
 a marksman," he said, " and my gun isn't much use 
 without that, you know. I don't mind saying that 
 I don't suppose another man in Europe could have 
 pulled off those two shots ; and neither of 'em did 
 the slightest good, all because of you, Bill Armitage, 
 curse you." 
 
 Billie ran his fingers through his beautifully brushed 
 hair. " It's wonderful how anxious I feel to get you 
 off somehow, Raumont," he said. 
 
 " You needn't try. I was just about to blow out 
 my own brains when you arrested me," was the quiet 
 answer. " I don't want to live." 
 
 " Oh, gammon to that," murmured Billie, embar- 
 rassed. 
 
 " True all the same. I've seen the one woman and 
 she is not for me." 
 
 " Women aren't everything." 
 
 " She is everything to me," came the deliberate 
 answer. 
 
 Well h'm ! Look here, you know," said Bill 
 after reflection. " Old Wasserufer was the chief 
 danger, and old Wasserufer won't ever do any more 
 harm. There's nothing against you, Gilles, unless 
 Vere gives you away ; and I'll ask you if you think 
 that's likely ? " 
 
 " She won't give me away. She has promised not 
 to."
 
 3IO THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 " Well then I haven't got the power to arrest you. 
 You weren't doing anything you didn't oughter when 
 we got here no more was the Baronne goin' off 
 quietly to visit the sick, complete with male attendant ! 
 The only snag is the corpse of the old ruffian ! What 
 about it ? That's always the weak spot in one's 
 murders eh ? " 
 
 Gilles leaned forward and passed his clever, nervous 
 hands through his hair, hiding his face. For a moment 
 or two he remained lost in thought ; then without 
 looking up he muttered : 
 
 " There ought to be no trouble about that." 
 
 " About the disposal of the body ? " 
 
 " Er yes. The oubliette is still available ; and 
 unless the French Government unlooses its sleuths, 
 nothing that went down there could possibly be 
 found." 
 
 Bill meditated profoundly. " Seems rather brutal, 
 but I honestly believe it would be the best thing." 
 
 Gilles said with sudden fury, " He was killed most 
 justly. I'm not a bit sorry I did it, even if you give 
 me up. I know of two murders that lie at his door ; 
 and he was in Moscow at the worst period of the 
 Terror. . . . God knows what he did and consented 
 to there . . . ! By the way, where is Stein ? " 
 
 " My chaps had to tie him up, as he was inclined to 
 be violent." 
 
 Gilles nodded as if pleased by the news. " He 
 ought not to know either of Wasserufer's death or 
 or burial." 
 
 " Quite so. Of course I should have to have some 
 kind of guarantee from you that all the infernal 
 machines in the place have been put out of com- 
 mission ? "
 
 GILLES CAPITULATES 3!! 
 
 Gilles mumbled, " There's a cupboardful of bombs 
 in the cavern." 
 
 " That's all right. Vere put them all into the 
 water-butt when she went down," Bill assured him 
 cheerily. " Well, what about it ? I don't suppose 
 the Baronne can afford to go on living here unless the 
 Soviet go on subsidising her ; and of course I should 
 want to superintend the disassembling of that gun 
 which you've got trained on a peaceful burg." 
 
 Raumont turned and looked at Billie. " You do 
 really mean that all you fellows will keep your heads 
 shut about the whole thing ? " 
 
 " See here, Raumont, if we were to start publishing 
 the various little discoveries we make hereabouts, the 
 public would be afraid to go about Geneva without 
 automatics." 
 
 Gilles uttered a laugh of sheer incredulity. " Bill 
 Armitage, you're the limit ! " 
 
 " Ah well, I own I feel a bit sorry for you. Fact. 
 Vere would, I think, have married you if she hadn't 
 come across Ned. Why she fell for him I haven't an 
 earthly ; but I've noticed that a girl usually gets off 
 with the last man you expect. Never can prophesy 
 what anyone will do when it comes to gettin' married." 
 
 Billie had telephoned to Jo the moment it was 
 known that Vere was safe ; and just as dawn was 
 breaking that energetic young woman arrived, driving 
 herself in the two-seater, to convey her friend away. 
 
 " You won't be troubled with her for long," said 
 Ned ; " only until old Charles has squared the authori- 
 ties and we can be married." 
 
 " Oh, Ned," faltered Vere with a little gulp, as for
 
 312 THE AFFAIR AT THE CHATEAU 
 
 a moment they found themselves unheard, " don't be 
 rash ! You've no idea what a little beast I am you 
 see we hardly know each other ! " 
 
 " Well," he replied as he tucked her coat securely 
 about her, " I don't quite see how much farther we 
 could have progressed in intimacy ! You've seen your 
 future husband going on his belly, in his celebrated 
 imitation of the post-Eden snake and I've just been 
 up in your room, helping you to pack your undies " 
 
 Vere put her hand over his mouth with firmness. 
 " That will be quite all from you at present, Dr. 
 Coverley." 
 
 Very little ever appeared in the Press about the two 
 mysterious bombs which fell upon Geneva. Neither 
 was there even a paragraph respecting a kidnapping 
 from the very abode of the League ! 
 
 A certain Galatian secretary had a bad a very 
 bad quarter of an hour ; but she was not dismissed. 
 The public knew nothing about the removal of the 
 gun from the cavern. 
 
 That was accomplished with the help of some very 
 competent young men who worked chiefly at night. 
 As the Baronne was moving out of the castle, many 
 vans were requisitioned to remove her effects ; after- 
 wards she disappeared from the country altogether. 
 
 Dr. Raumont has still an excellent practice in 
 Lausanne ; and it is said that he was lunching with 
 Dr. and Mrs. Coverley when they stayed this summer 
 at the " Charmant." 
 
 THE END
 
 A Selection from Hodder e>* Stoughton's 
 New and Forthcoming Novels 
 
 THE PRISONER IN THE OPAL 
 By A. E. W. MASON 
 Author of" No Other Tiger," tie. 
 
 A TALK in a London drawing-room with a charming American 
 girl, Joyce Whipplc, led Mr. Julius Ricardo, a prosperous 
 and dignified man of business, into an amazing romance of 
 excitement and terror, that, as he said, " gave me a new 
 vision of the world. I saw it as a vaSt opal inside which I 
 Stood. An opal luminously opaque, so that I was dimly 
 aware of another world outside mine, terrible and alarming 
 to the prisoner in the opal." Some Strange peril menaces 
 Joyce's friend Diana Tasborough she is sure of this, though 
 she is uncertain of the precise nature of the peril, and implores 
 Mr. Ricardo, who is going out on his annual business visit 
 to a French wine district, to see as much as he can of Diana, 
 since he knows her and will be Staying in her neighbourhood, 
 and may be able to help her. Mr. Ricardo is drawn into this 
 undertaking and plunges into a thrilling and sensational 
 mySlery, in the solution of which the aSlute, quaint French 
 dete&ive, Hanaud, already familiar to Mr. Mason's readers, 
 plays a leading part. It is all " as black a business as Hanaud 
 can remember," and as ingenious and absorbing a Story as 
 Mr. Mason has written. 
 
 '"THE INDIA-RUBBER MEN 
 1 By EDGAR WALLACE 
 Author of " The Flying Squad," etc. 
 
 INSPECTOR JOHN WADE of the River Police had the toughest 
 job of his life when he had to run to earth the India-Rubber 
 Men a gang of gunmen in rubber gas-masks, rubber gloves 
 and crepe rubber shoes, who robbed banks and jewellers, and 
 even committed murder under the very eyes of the police, and 
 got away with it. Had " Mum <, Oaks a spitfire of a 
 woman who ran a lodging-house on the riverside and her 
 henpecked husband Golly any connection with^the Gang ? 
 What was the mystery surrounding " Mum's " charming 
 helper, Lila Smith, who was apparently trying to assist Wade, 
 although frightened of disclosing too much to him ? It is 
 impossible not to be thrilled with this powerful Story of 
 love, crime and adventure amidst the gloom of the Pool of 
 London.
 
 Some of Hodder & Stoughton's New Novels 
 
 GALAXY 
 1 By SUSAN ERTZ 
 Author of " Noa> Eafl, Now Weft," " Madame Claire," etc. 
 
 THE life Story of Laura Devercll, born in 1862, and passing 
 through all the wars, tribulations, fashions, fads, ways of 
 living and thinking from that time to this. The daughter 
 of parents who understood none of their children, Laura 
 grows up into a lovely, intelligent and sensitive girl, far from 
 happy at home, but seeing no career for herself but marriage. 
 AgainSt her father's wishes for " trade " is still barely within 
 the social pale she marries an armaments manufacturer with 
 whom she is wildly in love. Her marriage estranges her 
 from her brother, an idealist and a rebel against the materialism 
 of his time ; her husband brings her disappointment and 
 infidelity ; and it is not until her children are settled and of 
 age that she consents to follow her own heart and leave 
 England with Sendler, a German with an English mother. 
 The War breaks in upon the happy married life that her divorce 
 has at last made possible, and she lives four years of intern- 
 ment. Her son is killed, but she finds in her young grandson 
 her son and her brother all over again. Standing on an island 
 at Hyde Park Corner one day in Oftober 1928, she looks up 
 at the Milky Way (or Galaxy) which she has always loved. 
 Half-blinded by the stars, she steps off the island and is struck 
 by a car. Under the ether during the operation that is 
 necessary she sees the thousand joys of her life, streaming 
 across her vision like the stars of the Milky Way ... so 
 many that she cannot possibly count them ... all the faces 
 she has loved, all the things that have brought her happiness, 
 and as they pass before her eyes, she dies. 
 
 MATORNI'S VINEYARD 
 Ey E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM 
 Author of " Tbt Fortunate Wayfarer," etc. 
 
 A CHEERFUL, healthy young man, six tennis rackets and a 
 seat in the Blue Train would to most people mean that all's 
 well with the world. But when Mr. Oppcnheim is guiding 
 the young man's destiny, dangers are almost sure to intervene, 
 although romance also is not long absent. Mr. Oppenheim 
 is as expert in pulling political strings as he is in playing 
 with heart-strings. In " Matomi's Vineyard " this prince 
 of story-tellers is once again busy with both.
 
 Some of Hodder e>* Stoughton's New Novels 
 
 QUEEN DICK: An Historical Novel 
 By ALFRED TRESIDDER SHEPPARD 
 Author of " Here Comes an Old Sailor," ttt. 
 
 AN exceptionally warm welcome was given to Mr. Alfred 
 Tresidder Sheppard's last novel, " Here Comes an Old Sailor," 
 which Sir Philip Gibbs described as the most startling, extra- 
 ordinary, and distinguished historical novel he had read since 
 Maurice Hewlett's " Richard Yea and Nay." In his new 
 novel " Queen Dick," Mr. Sheppard lays his scenes in East 
 Anglia. Mr. Sheppard first had the idea of " Queen Dick," 
 as Richard Cromwell was dubbed, as the hero of an historical 
 romance while searching, some years back, among old Stewart 
 and Commonwealth tradb.'books and diaries in Saffron Walden, 
 once the head-quarters of the Commonwealth Army. He 
 came to the conclusion that Richard Cromwell had been much 
 maligned, and by no means deserved the contemptuous judg- 
 ment of Carlyle and others. Later research has confirmed 
 this view. Although imagination has to fill in gaps, " Queen 
 Dick " keeps as closely as possible to actual history. This 
 novel shows a pageant of English history from Richard's 
 birth in 1626, when men were still speaking of the death of 
 James the First and Shakespeare had only been dead ten 
 years, to his death in 1712, only two years before that of 
 Queen Anne. 
 
 THE SECRET OF THE CREEK 
 By VICTOR BRIDGES 
 Author of" The Man from Nowhere," etc. 
 
 " THE SECRET OF THE CREEK," undoubtedly the finest story 
 that Mr. Bridges has yet written, is another of those joyous 
 tales of modern adventure which have endeared him to all 
 lovers of a first-class thriller. The scene, as in " Green Sea 
 Island," is laid on the East Coast, amongst the creeks and 
 marshes of which the author is so happily at home. It is 
 a rattling good yam, gripping you from the very first page, 
 and holding you enthralled and breathless, till, with a relu&ant 
 sigh, you close the book. We need hardly add that it is 
 salted throughout with Mr. Bridges' characteristic humour 
 that rare gift with which so few writers of sensational fiction 
 Bcem able to endow their plots. It is this quality that has 
 helped to make his books as popular all over the Continent 
 and America as they are here.
 
 Some of Hodder e5>* Stoughton's New Novels 
 
 GUARDED HALO 
 1 By MARGARET PEDLER 
 Author of" Yefterday's Harvefl," " Red Ashes," etc. 
 
 SHIRLEY WILSON and her brother Bob found themselves 
 suddenly left penniless and compelled to shift for themselves. 
 It altered the course of their lives, tested their resourcefulness 
 and brought Shirley into contaft with Neil Kenwyn. They 
 fell in love, but there was something in the way, some cloud 
 that rested over Neil's past life and would not lift. Then 
 Nicolette Arden, the dancer, came upon the scene, and 
 Shirley's romance looked like fading into nothing. The 
 truth, or what the adoring parents of the dead Ronny 
 Somerville held to be the truth, came out, and after heart- 
 breaks and regrets Shirley rose pluckily above her prejudices 
 and decided to marry Neil in spite of the pa&. Only it 
 wasn't the truth after all, but a fiftion invented, a bkme 
 shouldered, by one man in a loyal determination to guard 
 the halo with which another had been invested. 
 
 PNTER SIR JOHN 
 
 A-' By CLEMENCE DANE AND HELEN SIMPSON 
 
 HERE is a wonderful feat of collaboration. It is, if you like, 
 a detective story of the theatre. It opens, in the grey, small 
 hours of the morning, in an out-of-the-way provincial town : 
 knocking, hurrying footsteps, dishevelled, bewildered appari- 
 tions at lodging-house windows, and the discovery that the 
 head of a member of the visiting theatrical company has been 
 bashed in with a poker. The notebooks of the local police 
 bulged with evidence that got them nowhere ; the local jury, 
 a mixed assembly of mentalities, arrived laboriously and in 
 some bewilderment at a recommendation to mercy. And 
 then Sir John, elegant, imperturbable, aloof, with a famous 
 smile that satisfied the stalls and sent the gallery into ecstasy, 
 took the stage. Sir John, so elusively withdrawn into the 
 innermost recesses of his theatre, emerged, most surprisingly, 
 and journeyed to Peridu. It was someone whose personality 
 had impressed Sir John two years ago who looked like swing- 
 ing for the crime, someone who interested him he would not 
 commit himself further for the moment too much for him 
 to leave her to the mercies of the provincial police. Sir 
 John it was who saw where the case was being bungled and 
 the obvious overlooked, who added a strange assortment of 
 people to his admirers, pkced Martella Baring beyond the 
 clutches of the law, and staged for Martella and himself the 
 " entrance " of a lifetime,
 
 Some of Hodder e> Stoughton's New Novels 
 
 f>ROUCHBACK 
 
 ^S By CAROLA OMAN (C. LEN ANTON) 
 
 THB heroine of this vividly dramatic romance is Anne 
 of Warwick daughter of the " King-maker," widow of 
 young Edward Prince of Wales and wife of Richard III, the 
 sinister " Crouchback." Under the magical handling of Miss 
 Oman, the centuries roll back the men and women who 
 were but names to us become living, breathing, thrilling 
 personalities. The " human touch " transforms every detail 
 of the past into a stirring scene of the present : and beneath 
 it all, like throbbing drums along the night, is audible the 
 tramp of men-at-arms the scarlet marching men. It is 
 hard to describe this magnificent novel except in terms of 
 exuberant enthusiasm. Its splendid vigour is only equalled 
 by its pi&uresqueness and its pathos. 
 
 WILD HORSE MESA 
 By ZANE GREY 
 Author of " Nevada," etc. 
 
 PANGUITCH was more than a horse ; to a man he was the 
 symbol of all adventure, and to a girl the symbol of her 
 romance. The pursuit of Panguitch, then, was fraught with 
 meaning for both. Zane Grey has never created so attra&ive 
 a heroine as this girl, who, with her father and a resolute 
 party, sets forth to conquer Wild Horse Mesa. The intrigues 
 of an outlaw who found his way into the camp ; the fine 
 devotion of two brothers ; the stirring account of the capture 
 of a herd ; and then, finally, the last stand of Panguitch and the 
 smashing events which bring the story to a conclusion 
 make this perhaps the best romance Zane Grey has written^ 
 
 QENTINEL OF THE DESERT 
 
 W By JACKSON GREGORY 
 
 Author of" Redwood and Gold," etc. 
 
 JULIAN HAWK rode into Nacional, a stranger, with a message 
 from a dead man that El Topo was a fool and Blondino a liar. 
 And in the Hacienda Escondida, of evil and sinister repute, he 
 found El Topo and Blondino. There was shooting, and 
 murder done before Hawk's eyes, and hue and cry for Hawk, 
 who slipped away, that sent Blondino and his men galloping 
 for the Blue Smokes after him. There was gold in the Blue 
 Smoke mountains, and a claim all ready to be staked. . A smoke 
 signal went up from the Sentinel of the Desert, the tall shaft 
 of rock that stood like a landmark for miles around. And 
 the clash that was bound to come with Blondino and Juhan 
 Hawk in the same prospering camp drew nearer all the time. 
 A shot-gun went off before the original prospectors stake 
 was claimed, and led to a general stampede ; a bullet intended 
 for Hawk found someone else ; and Hawk rode South and 
 found Blondino.
 
 Some of Hoddcr e5>* Stoughton's New Novels 
 
 PRETTY SINISTER 
 i- . By FRANCIS DEEDING 
 Author of" Tbt Six Proud Walkers," etc. 
 
 IT is impossible to predict where next this author will dis- 
 cover a nest of villains, but that they will be thoroughgoing in 
 their villainy and that their unmasking will call for trains and 
 ingenuity goes without saying. Richard Merrill, a budding 
 young diplomatist, finds that the company of blue-eyed 
 Colonel Granby generally means trouble for someone, and 
 that someone is generally the other person I A gagged 
 train attendant, a dead taxi-driver, kidnapping in the heart of 
 London, all this is, as Colonel Granby would say, " pretty 
 sinister " and Richard Merrill determines to track the mystery 
 to its source, especially when he discovers that somehow or 
 other Joyce Elliott is involved. A cryptic message a 
 packet of Three Castle cigarettes with one castle blacked out 
 and at the same time the reappearance of the trio of ruffians, 
 nicknamed by the Foreign Office, Pip, Squeak and Wilfred, 
 certainly means trouble. The trails lead from Geneva to 
 London, from London to York, from York to out of the 
 Three Castles I 
 
 FOOL ERRANT 
 By PATRICIA WENTWORTH 
 Author of " Grey Mask," etc. 
 
 HUGO Ross, who is out of a job, accepts a situation as secretary 
 to Ambrose Minstrel, an eminent though erratic inventive 
 genius. Hugo finds that he has to choose between safety 
 for himself and the risk of being branded as a thief and a 
 traitor to his country. As the Fool Errant, he takes the path 
 of duty and danger in the hope of saving Minstrel's latest 
 invention from falling into the hands of the enemies of 
 civilisation. How Loveday Leigh came to be mixed up in 
 the affair, and how Hugo saved her from a horrible fate, 
 must be read in some of the most thrilling chapters that even 
 Patricia Wentworth has ever written. 
 
 THE SCARLET SIN 
 By MRS. VICTOR RICKARD 
 Author of"A Perilous Elopement," tie. 
 
 " THE SCARLET SIN " is the story of a man's passionate struggle 
 with his own past. Wherever he turns, however high the 
 motive which inspires him, dead hands draw him back, 
 requiring him to face the results of deeds done in a heedless 
 hour. Maynard, the hero of the story, begins with Home 
 and Peace. His surroundings, his outlook all is calm. 
 And then comes the first faint whisper of change, leading 
 the story through agony and test up to its vast crescendo of 
 triumph and reward.
 
 Some of Hoddcr eJ>* Stoughton's New Novels 
 
 HPHE TWO BRIDES 
 1 By F. E. PENNY 
 Author of"A Qucftion of Colour" ttt. 
 
 HERB are two piftures a white bride, radiant, 'milling. 
 Strong to face the future with the man of her choice, and * 
 little Indian child-wife, desperately frightened, waiting fot 
 the unknown husband chosen for her by her family. 
 The complications of Indian family life, the respcft due to 
 parents, the hoards of shiftless, ignorant relatives, are juSl 
 a few of the problems to be tackled by enlightened Indians, 
 and Mrs. Penny does not shirk the discussion of such 
 problems. Interwoven with her vivid descriptions of 
 Indian life is the story of the transformation of the forlorn 
 little Seeta into a lovely and loving woman, and when, after 
 many years, the two Brides meet, the Indian girl is as able 
 as the white girl to help her husband in his work as well 
 as in his home. 
 
 THE SINGING GOLD 
 By DOROTHY COTTRELL 
 
 IF you looked back through the years of your life and set 
 down your Story on paper, how would it look ? You would 
 remember, how you dreamt in your idle hours of the man 
 who would be your husband. Did he fulfil these expecta- 
 tions ? Had your dream come true ? Supposing your fondest 
 hopes had been realised and after a few months the hand of 
 death had stretched out and turned your Paradise into black 
 despair ? All suppositions these. You may have experienced 
 none of them ; you may have experienced them all. But such 
 was the story of Joan Jerington Whatmore's life as told in 
 the pages of " The Singing Gold." Tears and laughter, hope 
 and despair, mingle throughout her story. Against the 
 brilliant background of Australian farmlands and Tropic 
 Isles this human story, in its atmosphere, its philosophy, its 
 tragedy, and in its naive whimsicality, shines with the 
 brilliance of genius. 
 
 "THE WEB OF DESTINY 
 1 By SEAMARK 
 Author of" The Silent Six," ttc. 
 
 FORREST ORD, just back from strange and adventurous parts 
 of the earth, finds himself involved in such a tangle of strange 
 happenings that he almost despairs of extricating himself. 
 A cry in the night ; a fair girl stealing from a house of mystery ; 
 the grim contents of a small attach^ case; what is the 
 connecting link between them and a strange, secret force that 
 rends a man in pieces in an empty room behind a locked door ?
 
 Some of Hodder & Stoughton's New Novels 
 
 QHIPMATES 
 
 O By COMMANDER DORLING (" TAFFRAIL") 
 
 Author of " The Firtt Command," " Michael Bray" etc. 
 
 Two boys from a Cornish fishing village, friends from child- 
 hood, join the Royal Navy. One, the son of the squire, 
 himself a naval officer with a long line of naval ancestors, 
 joins as an officer. The other, the son of a fisherman, enters 
 as a bluejacket. The Great War deprives the squire of his 
 heir, and, for reasons which appear in the book, he adopts the 
 sailor's orphan son and puts him into the Navy as an officer 
 to carry on the sea traditions of both families. Into this new 
 book the author brings bis usual intimate knowledge of naval 
 life, a keen sense of pathos and an ably-handled love interest. 
 
 FOUR GRACES 
 
 By RICHMAL CROMPTON 
 Author of" The Wildings," etc. 
 
 THE four beautiful Miss Wardens the Four Graces live 
 together at Four Corners : Helen, aloof from outsiders, but 
 the controlling force in her own life and her sisters ; Joanna, 
 of amazing beauty, high spirited and eager for diversion, but 
 in her innermost soul looking forward intensely for something 
 that will make the world radiant for her ; Peter, the third 
 sister, the first of them to feel the call from the outside world ; 
 and Gay, the youngest, whose love for her sisters taught her 
 to know them almost better than they know themselves. Gay 
 it is who is the watcher, Gay who stands outside and sees how 
 things are with her sisters, as the drama of their lives develops, 
 and whose intense understanding of her sisters gives her a 
 vision of the meaning and purpose behind everything that 
 happened to them. 
 
 EAGER LOVE 
 By MAY CHRISTIE 
 Author of" Tbt Girl Who Dared," etc. 
 
 APRIL and ripening love between Mary Oliver, " little 
 mother " of brothers and sisters, and her neighbour Barny 
 Dawson, the fascinating young aeroplane inventor I Then 
 into Mary's placid life descends her lovely cousin Lois, with 
 a train of trouble in her wake. To protect Lois from the 
 consequences of her imprudence, and from the villains who 
 are blackmailing her, gentle Mary becomes mysterious ; 
 disappears periodically ; does a little burglary, on the side ; 
 and generally presents a transformed exterior to the dismayed 
 Barny.
 
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