All the time he was staring at her. He stared at the tempestuous ruffling of her petticoat, which had a wanton air that was most disturbing, at the rebosa tossed rakishly over her shoulder, with the waistline beneath as languorously suggested as though she were Spanish-born to rebosas, and lastly, at a freckle on the very tip of the creamy nose. He admired extravagantly, but he was no less amazed to see her at all. A moment before he had supposed her demurely breaking hearts at St. Cloud, and Paris under her feet. He knew how capable she was. It had happened to him. How he had sought her, before she left! And how maddening she was! He could recall nothing of encouragement, and yet, blind, susceptible fool, he had never ceased to be encouraged. She was a master craftsman, since her art was hidden. Then she had gone back to France; some said because of a note from Napoleon. But he was of the gloomy opinion that she had simply ceased to amuse herself. Yet for all that, here she was again, and the astonished prince was eager to suffer yet more, if it amused her still. She explained in a word, as though their meeting in the Huasteca were nothing extraordinary. Away from Mexico, she had discovered that she wanted to return to Mexico. The man left in Mexico would have augured much from this, but at her matter-of-fact tone the glad light faded from his eyes. Jacqueline, by the way, was a good manager. She reminded him that she had no mother nor father nor other relative in France--which disposed of France. Then, though he winced, she added that the experiment of a New World court was a novel spectacle and she enjoyed it more than the conventional affairs in Europe. Accordingly she would resume her place as first lady of honor. At Tampico she had wearied of ocean travel, and--well, that was all. Maximilian shuddered. He imagined the terrors she must have encountered. "But, mademoiselle, the bandits? You did not come alone through that terrible coast country?" "Of course not, sire. And that's why I reveal myself to Your Majesty. You are to save the person that brought me." "Have mercy, mademoiselle. One must leap too far who hopes to understand you." "But there's nothing to understand. Your Majesty has only to keep Colonel Dupin from shooting him." Maximilian frowned heavily at the Frenchman's name. "On the porch just now," Jacqueline explained, "when you finished speaking, he--the man I am speaking of--announced that he wanted to see you, but the Tiger drew his pistols to shoot him if he moved." "Then naturally your friend did not move?" "Your Majesty does not know him. But he stopped for me." "Were you so afraid Dupin would lose his prisoner?" "I had no desire to see the prisoner commit suicide. But I had to promise him that he should see Your Majesty later." "To beg----"