"Mademoiselle," said Monsieur Bouverie, beginning to get excited. "You take too much upon yourself; you are creating false impressions. The Countess has sold me this picture with the Château. I have taken all the pictures and furniture with it. The Château itself is nearly a ruin. It is its contents which I value. I have it all here in writing with her signature. I am not likely to do anything illegal." But Adrienne stood firm: "The Countess had no power to sell this picture or mortgage it, for it is not hers. You cannot give away another's property." Then, as Monsieur Bouverie began to splutter and storm, Adrienne called out suddenly and sharply to Pierre: "Pierre, show these gentlemen out, and remember that we intend now to admit no one into the Château whilst we are in it." Then she gave a little bow to the American, and said to him in English: "I am sorry that you have been misinformed, sir, about this picture. It does not belong to Monsieur Bouverie, and the Count my cousin does not intend to sell it. He has told me so. I will wish you good afternoon." She walked away from them, then stood at the top of the staircase watching them go down and out of the front door. Monsieur Bouverie was shaking with rage, and volubly explaining, and denouncing Adrienne's interference. Then Adrienne issued her commands to Pierre: "Lock and bolt all the outside doors. We intend to see no one except perhaps Miss Preston or the Curé. We must keep a closed door till we go." She said nothing to her aunt of what she had done. She felt ashamed and indignant that the Countess had weakly deceived her stepson and had tried to part with the one possession he prized. And she did not want to upset her in these last days. The Countess was sleeping badly, and at last was beginning to realize that this move would be different to the usual autumnal flitting. But Adrienne realized that she had made an open enemy of the notary. It was war to the knife between them now, and she was beginning to be frightened of the responsibility lying upon her shoulders. She did not know how to remove the picture and where to take it. It was a very large one, and would require a frame and a van to transfer it to her aunt's flat. She thought of the farm, but feared that Monsieur Bouverie would forcibly remove it from there. Half an hour later, she was standing in the hall talking to Pierre about it. It was nearly time for her aunt to appear for tea, which they were having in the salon now, as it was getting too cold to sit out of doors. Pierre was delighted at the unceremonious way in which Monsieur Bouverie had received his exit. And when they suddenly heard a violent ring and a still more violent knocking at the door, both he and Adrienne thought it might be Monsieur Bouverie returning to the attack, with his legal papers all in form. "Let him knock a bit, Mademoiselle; it will cool his blood," said Pierre, almost dancing with excitement on the tips of his old toes.