Graham bent forward and kissed her mouth. "You love me?" The boy laughed. "S-s-s-h! Eef you love me, eef you really and truly love me, I vill to-night ask you to prove eet." "I've been waiting," said Graham, with a sudden touch of passion. "Zen take me avay from this 'ell. I 'ave a soul. Eet ees killing me. I 'ave a longing for God's air. Take me back to eet. The Papowsky ees a vile woman. She lure me 'ere and I am a prisoner. You do not know the 'orrors of zis place. I am young. I am almost a child. I was good and I can be good again. At once, when you come 'ere, I saw in you one who might rescue me from zis. I love you. You say you love me. I beseech you to take me away." Graham was stirred by this emotional appeal whispered in his ear, by the young arms that were flung round his neck, and by the little body that was all soft against him. His sense of chivalry and his innate desire for adventure were instantly set ablaze. At the same time, what could he do with this strange little girl? Where could he put her? He began to whisper back something of his inability to help, but a hand was quickly placed over his mouth. "Eef you believe in God, take me away. I do not care what you do with me. I do not care eef you make me work for my bread. You are not like ze rest. You too are young and you are a man, and I love you. I will be your servant--your slave. I will kiss your feet. I will give you myself. I will wait on you 'and and foot. Give me a little room near ze sky and see me once a day, but take me out of this evil place--I am being poisoned. Vill you do zis? Vill you?" She slipped down on her knees and clasped her hands together. In the faint blue light Graham could see the large eyes of the girl looking up at him through tears, as though to a saviour. Her whole attitude was one of great appeal. Her young, slim body trembled and the throbbing of her voice with its curious foreign accent moved him to an overwhelming pity. Here then was something that he could do--was a way in which he could exercise his bottled up sense of adventure which had hitherto only been kept in some sort of control by gambling and running risks. "Do you mean that you're forced to remain here,--that you can't get out if you want to?" "Yes, yes, yes! I tell you I was caught like a wild bird and zis ees my cage. Ze door ees guarded." A great excitement seized the boy. He lifted Ita up and put his mouth to her ear. "You've come to the right man. I'll get you out of this. I always loathed to see you here,--but how's it to be done? She has eyes in the back of her head, and those damned Japanese servants are everywhere." "Eeet ees for you to sink," said the girl. "You are a man." "I see," said Graham. "Right. Leave it to me."