She was awaiting him now. Had everything gone smoothly, she could have shown him that her career was already booked for passage by a different route. Booked! But at this critical moment she had struck a snag in the shape of Mrs. Jerome’s intimation that the shortest way with an awkward past was to "marry it down," so to speak. Had she been mistaken in Mrs. Jerome? Was the good lady so bravely taking a risk only with the quiet resolve to insure this risk at the earliest opportunity? Well, if she had to get married for her sins, one thing was certain. The St. Hilaire she did know was better than the St. Hilaire she didn’t. These reflections were brought to an abrupt close by the return of Cornelia. "Monsieur St. Hilaire is below," she announced, stormily. "It seems to me that you owe an explanation to me as well as to him." "If you don’t mind," returned Janet in a voice that was strangely calm, "let me accept him first. I’ll explain to you afterwards." Cornelia stared at her. For some time she had believed that, despite the disturbing influence of Mrs. Jerome and Robert, there was a fairly good chance of putting the St. Hilaire marriage through. She had cherished this belief until today. Then she suddenly learned that Janet had all along been carrying on an intrigue with Mrs. R. H. L. Jerome, the upshot of which was that the benevolent Cornelia’s plans were to be set wholly at naught. And as if this humiliation were not enough, Janet had entertained the disloyal scheme of deserting the Maison Paulette at barely a day’s notice. These distressing facts had transpired scarcely half an hour ago. And now Janet was again serenely proposing to marry M. St. Hilaire! She had been acting in this erratic fashion ever since Robert came on the scene. Had he had anything to do with this latest change of heart? "I’ll tell M. St. Hilaire to come up," she said tonelessly, paralyzed by the instability of her friend’s decisions. "The coast is quite clear. Mazie is upstairs with Harry, and Robert has just gone to Fontainebleau for the day." She omitted to say that she had packed him off on a factitious errand. "Yes," she continued, her cadenced speech picking up as she went on. "I told him to make the most of his glorious freedom. You know, he’s as good as betrothed to Charlotte Beecher." "How lucky for them both!" said Janet hypocritically. Cornelia went out, having thus drawn the long bow at a venture. And not, she trusted, in vain. *VI* M. St. Hilaire came in. Janet had never been tempted to rave over him as Cornelia lately did. She thought him a little too short, but she admitted that his well-poised figure, ruddy complexion, and auburn beard were a delight to the eye. And she liked his courtly and somewhat superior demeanor. Yet, at the first intimate touch of his hand, she recoiled almost with violence.