"I'll see to it for you," said Garth, with that quiet, rather heavy air which irritated Marise sometimes and always puzzled her. For that was one of the things about him which upset her judgment of his character. CHAPTER XXXVII ZÉLIE GETS EVEN "Will you step into Miss Marks's sitting-room? She's expecting you," Marise was greeted, arriving at the hotel. "A private sitting-room! And Jack Garth's money pays for it," she thought dully. But of course it was nothing to her. At least, it would have been nothing if, while keeping it secret, he was not bent on driving away the man who loved her--Marise. Oh, and that reminded her of an important thing! It had been on her lips to accuse him of giving Zélie the jewels, but she had been interrupted, or had forgotten. Then the note had come from the hotel.... She would have the truth out of Zélie herself. The sitting-room was on the ground floor, and had a loggia all its own, lit by a red-shaded electric lamp, like an illuminated poppy. Zélie was there in a huge American rocking-chair, gazing Canyonward under the moon, when Mrs. Garth was shown into the room. Instantly the girl jumped up, and Marise saw her framed in the door. She looked pale, and thinner than she had been in New York. But the change wasn't unbecoming. The conventional thing would have been for Zélie to say, "How good of you to come! I hope you didn't mind my sending for you, as I've been ill." Whereupon Marise would naturally have answered, "Not at all." But nothing of the kind happened. The two girls eyed each other like fencers, or even like cats. Then Marise said, "You see, I've come." "Yes," replied Zélie, "I supposed you would, after what Lord Severance told me." Marise was startled. "Lord Severance! _What_ did he tell you?" "That you suspected your husband and me of all sorts of unmentionable things, and that you wouldn't be satisfied until you'd had it out with me. Well--now you can have it out with me. Fire away, Mrs. Garth. I've nothing to be ashamed of. It's all the other way round." "What do you mean?" gasped Marise. "Well, frankly, I mean that you should be ashamed of suspecting him. You ought to know him better." "I said not one word to Lord Severance about suspecting my--Major Garth," Marise broke out in self-defence. "Didn't you?" echoed Zélie. "Well, that's funny, since he sent up his card and told me you were wild. He urged and urged, if I had any friendship for Jack Garth, to write and get you here." "That's very strange," said Marise. "But I suppose--one must suppose!--he meant well. Now I am here, if you have anything to tell me you might as well tell it." "Does Jack know you've come?" asked Zélie quietly. "He does. We were talking about you when your note arrived. You see, Lord Severance mentioned that you were at the hotel." "Then why did you want to talk with me? Surely you'd believe Jack? I shouldn't think _anyone_ ever accused him of lying!"