Her curved lips broke into a smile that showed again her small white teeth. "Were you, then, married?" she said. I only went on, impatient. "Any moment may mean everything to us. I should not ask these questions if I did not know that you were close to Mr. Calhoun." She looked me square in the eye and nodded her head slowly. "I may say this much, Monsieur, that it has pleased me to gain a little further information." "You will give my government that information?" "Why should I?" "Yet you spoke of others who might come here. What others? Who are they? The representatives of Mexico? Some attaché of the British Embassy at Washington? Some minister from England itself, sent here direct?" She smiled at me again. "I told you not to go back to your hotel, did I not?" I got no further with her, it seemed. "You interest me sometimes," she went on slowly, at last, "yet you seem to have so little brain! Now, in your employment, I should think that brain would be somewhat useful at times." "I do not deny that suggestion, Madam." "But you are unable to analyze. Thus, in the matter of yourself. I suppose if you were told of it, you would only say that you forgot to look in the toe of the slipper you had." "Thus far, Baroness," I said soberly, "I have asked no special privilege, at least. Now, if it affords you any pleasure, I _beg_ you, I _implore_ you, to tell me what you mean!" "Did you credit the attaché of Mexico with being nothing more than a drunken rowdy, to follow me across town with a little shoe in his carriage?" "But you said he was in wine." "True. But would that be a reason? Continually you show your lack of brain in accepting as conclusive results which could not possibly have occurred. _Granted_ he was in wine, _granted_ he followed me, _granted_ he had my shoe in his possession--what then? Does it follow that at the ball at the White House he could have removed that shoe? Does Monsieur think that I, too, was in wine?" "I agree that I have no brain! I can not guess what you mean. I can only beg once more that you explain." "Now listen. In your most youthful and charming innocence I presume you do not know much of the capabilities for concealment offered by a lady's apparel! Now, suppose I had a message--where do you think I could hide it; granted, of course, the conditions obtaining at a ball in the White House?" "Then you did have a message? It came to you there, at that time?" She nodded. "Certainly. Mr. Van Zandt had almost no other opportunity to meet me or get word to me."