“You never kept your promise,” she reminded him, reproachfully. “You never came near our hotel. I waited for you a week.” “I could not; I was leaving Baeren that same afternoon.” She turned to us at last. “This is the most delightful meeting in the world, so far as I am concerned,” she declared, still a little breathlessly. “Mr. Deville once saved my life.” He made some sort of a protest, but she took no notice. She was determined to tell her story. “I was traveling with a friend through the Italian lakes, and we were out for a drive near Baeren. We were coming down a terrible hill, with a precipice on one side and the sheer mountain on the other. The road was only just wide enough for our carriage, and suddenly a great bird flew out from a hole in the mountain and startled our horses. The driver must have been half asleep, and when they plunged he lost his balance and was thrown off. The horses started galloping down the hill. It was almost like the side of a house, and just in front was a sharp turn, with only a little frail palisading, and the precipice just below. We must have gone straight over. He could not possibly have turned at the pace they were going. If they had the carriage must have swung over. We were clinging to one another, and I am afraid we were dreadful cowards. It was like certain and fearful death, and just then Mr. Deville came round the corner. He seemed to see it all in a moment, and ran to meet us. Oh, it was horrible!” she cried, throwing her hands up with a little shiver. “I shall never forget it until I die. Never!” She paused for a moment. Adelaide Fortress and I had been hanging over her every word. There was something very thrilling about the way she told her story. Mr. Deville alone seemed uninterested, and a little impatient. He was turning over the pages of a magazine, with a restless frown upon his strong, dark face. “It seemed to me,” she continued, lowering her shaking voice, “that he was down under the horses, being dragged----” Bruce Deville closed the magazine he had been reading with a bang. He had evidently been a passive auditor as long as he was able to endure it. “Let me finish,” he said, shortly. “I am blessed with strong arms, and I stopped the horses. It was not a particularly difficult task. The ladies walked back to the hotel, and I went to look for the driver, who had broken his leg.” “And I have never seen him since!” she exclaimed, breathlessly. “Well, I couldn’t help that,” he continued. “I believe I promised to come to the hotel and call upon you, but when I thought it over it really didn’t seem worth while. I was on my way to Geneva, walking over the hills, and I was rather anxious to get there, and as I found some men to take the carriage and the driver back, I thought I might as well continue my journey. I wanted to get to Geneva for my letters.” She laughed quietly. Her eyes continually sought his, soft with admiration and pleasure.