He stood for a second or two, watching her, an odd flame coming and going in his eyes; then abruptly he moved, picked up the pearls from their case, straightened them dexterously, and clasped them about her neck. She lifted her face then, quivering and irresolute, to his. "And I can give you--nothing," she said. He took her lightly by the shoulders, as one who caresses a child. "_Ma chérie_, you have given me already much more than you realize. But we will not go into that now. We will go to the shops. Afterwards, we will go out to Fontainebleau and picnic in the forest. You will like that?" "Oh, so much!" she said, with enthusiasm. Yet there was a puzzled look of pain in her eyes as she turned away, and though she wore his pearls, she made no further reference to them. They went forth into the streets of Paris and Toby shopped. At first she was shy, halting here and hesitating there, till Saltash, looking on, careless and debonair, made it abundantly evident that whatever she desired she was to have, and then like a child on a holiday she flung aside all indecision and became eager and animated. So absorbed was she that she took no note of the passage of time and was horrified when at length he called her attention to the fact that it was close upon the luncheon-hour. "And you must be so tired of it all!" she said, with compunction. "Not in the least," he assured her airily between puffs of his cigarette. "It has been--a new experience for me." Her eyes challenged him for a moment, and he laughed. "_Mais oui, madame!_ I protest--a new experience. I feel I am doing my duty." "And it doesn't bore you?" questioned Toby, with a tilt of the chin. His look kindled a little. "If we were on board the old _Night Moth_, you'd have had a cuff for that," he remarked. "I wish we were!" she said daringly. He flicked his fingers. "You're very young, Nonette." She shook her head with vehemence. "I'm not! I'm not! I'm only pretending. Can't you see?" He laughed jestingly. "You have never deceived me yet, _ma chère_,--not once, from the moment I found you shivering in my cabin up to the present. You couldn't if you tried." Toby's blue eyes suddenly shone with a hot light. "So sure of that?" she said quickly. "You read me--so easily?" "Like a book," said Saltash, with an arrogance but half-assumed. "I cheated you--once," she said, breathing sharply. "And I caught you," said Saltash. "Only--only because--I meant you to," said Toby, under her breath. He raised his brows in momentary surprise, and in a flash she laughed and clapped her hands. "I had you there, King Charles! You see, you are but a man after all." He gave her a swift and piercing glance. "And what are you?" he said. Her eyes fell swiftly before his look; she made no reply.