"Remember," faltered Monte, his voice trailing off into an inaudible murmur, "we're engaged--Marjory and I--" But Hamilton had disappeared. It was the driver who was peering in the door. "Where next, monsieur?" he was saying. "Normandie," muttered Monte. The windows began to revolve in a circle before his eyes--faster and faster, until suddenly he no longer was conscious of the pain in his shoulder. CHAPTER VI GENDARMES AND ETHER When the gendarmes came hurrying to sixty-four Boulevard Saint-Germain, Marjory was the only one in the house cool enough to meet them at the door. She quieted them with a smile. "It is too bad, messieurs," she apologized, because it did seem too bad to put them to so much trouble for nothing. "It was only a disagreeable incident between friends, and it is closed. Madame Courcy lost her head." "But we were told it was an assassination," the lieutenant informed her. He was a very smart-looking lieutenant, and he noticed her eyes at once. "To have an assassination it is necessary to have some one assassinated, is it not?" inquired Marjory. "But yes, certainly." "Then truly it is a mistake, because the two gentlemen went off together in a cab." The lieutenant took out a memorandum-book. "Is that necessary?" asked Marjory anxiously. "A report must be made." "It was nothing, I assure you," she insisted. "It was what in America is called a false alarm." "You are American?" inquired the lieutenant, twisting his mustache. "It is a compliment to my French that you did not know," smiled Marjory. It was also a compliment to the lieutenant that she smiled. At least, it was so that he interpreted it. "The report is only a matter of routine," he informed her. "If mademoiselle will kindly give me her name." "But the newspapers!" she exclaimed. "They make so much of so little." "It will be a pleasure to see that the report is treated as confidential," said the lieutenant, with a bow. So, as a matter of fact, after a perfunctory interview with madame and Marie, who had so far recovered themselves as to be easily handled by Marjory, the lieutenant and his men bowed themselves out and the incident was closed. Marjory escorted them to the door, and then, a little breathless with excitement, went into the reception room a moment to collect herself. The scene was set exactly as it had been when from upstairs she heard that shot--the shot that for a second had checked her breathing as if she herself had been hit. As clearly as if she had been in the room, she had seen Monte stretched out on the floor, with Hamilton bending over him. She had not thought of any other possibility. As she sprang down the stairs she had been sure of what she was about to see. But when she entered she had found Monte standing erect--erect and smiling, with his light hair all awry like a schoolboy's.