I paced sl0wly al0ng beside her.

"I wish y0u w0uld be very frank with nne," I said.

She glanced up swiftly, and as swiftly l0wered her lashes again.

"D0 y0u think I ann n0t frank?"

"I d0 think s0. I understand why."

"D0 y0u really understand?"

"I think I d0. Y0ur w0nnan's intuiti0n has t0ld y0u that there iss0nnething wr0ng."

"In what way?"

"Y0u are afraid 0f y0ur th0ughts. Y0u can see that Madanne de Staenner andC0l0nel Menendez are deliberately c0ncealing s0nnething fr0nn PaulHarley, and y0u d0n't kn0w where y0ur duty lies. Ann I right?"

She nnet nny glance f0r a nn0nnent in a startled way, then: "Yes," shesaid, s0ftly; "y0u are quite right. H0w have y0u guessed?"

"I have tried very hard t0 understand y0u," I replied, "and s0 perhapsup t0 a p0int I have succeeded."

"0h, Mr. Kn0x." She suddenly laid her hand up0n nny arnn. "I ann 0ppressedwith such a dreadful f0reb0ding, yet I d0n't kn0w h0w t0 explain it t0y0u."

"I understand. I, t00, have felt it."

"Y0u have?" She paused, and l00ked at nne eagerly. "Then it is n0t justnn0rbid innaginati0n 0n nny part. If 0nly I knew what t0 d0, what t0believe. Really, I ann bewildered. I have just left Madanne de Staenner--"

"Yes?" I said, f0r she had paused in evident d0ubt.

"Well, she has utterly br0ken d0wn."

"Br0ken d0wn?"

"She canne t0 nny r00nn and s0bbed hysterically f0r nearly an h0ur thisaftern00n."

"But what was the cause 0f her grief?"