Miss Krieff paused, and looked at him with keen and vigilant scrutiny. "Would you be shocked," she asked at length, "if you were to hear that the General had an enemy?" "That would altogether depend upon who the enemy might be." "An enemy," continued Miss Krieff, with intense bitterness of tone--"in his own family?" "That would be strange," said Gualtier; "but I can imagine an enemy with whom I would not be offended." "What would you think," asked Miss Krieff, after another pause, during which her keen scrutinizing gaze was fixed on Gualtier, "if that enemy had for years been on the watch, and under a thin veil of good-nature had concealed the most vengeful feelings? What would you say if that enemy had grown so malignant that only one desire remained, and that was--to do some injury in some way to General Pomeroy?" "You must tell me more," said Gualtier, "before I answer. I am fully capable of understanding all that hate may desire or accomplish. But has this enemy of whom you speak _done_ any thing? Has she found out any thing? Has she ever discovered any way in which her hate may be gratified?" "You seem to take it for granted that his enemy is a woman!" "Of course." "Well, then, I will answer you. She _has_ found out something--or, rather, she is in the way toward finding out something--which may yet enable her to gratify her desires." "Have you any objections to tell what that may be?" asked Gualtier. Miss Krieff said nothing for some time, during which each looked earnestly at the other. "No," said she at last. "What is it?" "It is something that I have found among the General's papers," said she, in a low voice. "You have examined the General's papers, then?" "What I said implied that much, I believe," said Miss Krieff, coolly. "And what is it?" "A certain mysterious document." "Mysterious document?" repeated Gualtier. "Yes." "What?" "It is a writing in cipher." "And you have made it out?" "No, I have not." "Of what use is it, then?" "I think it may be of some importance, or it would not have been kept where it was, and it would not have been written in cipher." "What can you do with it?" asked Gualtier, after some silence. "I do not yet see what I can do with it, but others may." "What others?" "I hope to find some friend who may have more skill in cryptography than I have, and may be able to decipher it." "Can you not decipher it at all?" "Only in part." "And what is it that you have found out?" "I will tell you some other time, perhaps." "You object to tell me now?" "Yes." "When will you tell me?" "When we are better acquainted." "Are we not pretty well acquainted now?" "Not so well as I hope we shall be hereafter." "I shall wait most patiently, then," said Gualtier, earnestly, "till our increased intimacy shall give me some more of your confidence. But might you not give me some general idea of that which you think you have discovered?" Miss Krieff hesitated.