"You don"t want to?"
"What"s the use of saying I do? I love them. Besides, he"ll see through it. He"ll know that I mean I won"t come. I daren"t--I daren"t show him that!"
Then I made a little venture; for, fingering the box idly, I said:
"It would be uncommonly handsome of you to give "em to the d.u.c.h.ess."
"To the d.u.c.h.ess?" she gasped in wondering tones.
"You see," I remarked, "either they are the d.u.c.h.ess", in which case she ought to have them; or, if they were the duke"s, they"re yours now; and you can do what you like with them."
"He gave them me on--on a condition."
"A condition," said I, "no gentleman could mention, and no law enforce."
She blushed scarlet, but sat silent.
"Revenge is sweet," said I. "She ran away rather than meet you. You send her her diamonds!"
A sudden gleam shot into Marie Delha.s.se"s eyes.
"Yes," she said, "yes." And stopped, thinking, with her hands clasped.
"You send them by me," I pursued, delighted with the impression which my suggestion had made upon her.
"By you? You see her, then?" she asked quickly.
"Occasionally," I answered. The d.u.c.h.ess" secret was not mine, and I did not say where I saw her.
"I"ll give them to you," said Marie--"to you, not to the d.u.c.h.ess."
"I won"t have "em at any price," said I. "Come, your mother will be back soon. I believe you want to keep "em." And I a.s.sumed a disgusted air.
"I don"t!" she flashed out pa.s.sionately. "I don"t want to touch them! I wouldn"t keep them for the world!"
I looked at my watch. With a swift motion, Marie Delha.s.se leaped from her chair, dashed down the lid of the box, hiding the glitter of the stones, seized the box in her two hands and with eyes averted held it out to me.
"For the d.u.c.h.ess?" I asked.
"Yes, for the d.u.c.h.ess," said Marie, with, averted eyes.
I took the box, and stowed it in the capacious pocket of the shooting-jacket which I was wearing.
"Go!" said Marie, pointing to the door.
I held out my hand. She caught it in hers. Upon my word, I thought she was going to kiss it. So strongly did I think it that, hating fuss of that sort, I made a half-motion to pull it away. However, I was wrong. She merely pressed it and let it drop.
"Cheer up! cheer up! I"ll turn up again soon," said I, and I left the room.
And left in the nick of time; for at the very moment when I, hugging the lump in my coat which marked the position of the Cardinal"s Necklace, reached the foot of the stairs Mme. Delha.s.se appeared on her way up.
"Oh, you old viper!" I murmured thoughtlessly, in English.
"Pardon, monsieur?" said Mme. Delha.s.se.
"Forgive me: I spoke to myself--a foolish habit," I rejoined, with a low bow and, I"m afraid, a rather malicious smile. The old lady glared at me, bobbed her head the slightest bit in the world, and pa.s.sed me by.
I went out into the sunshine, whistling merrily. My good friend the waiter stood by the door. His eyes asked me a question.
"She is much better," I said rea.s.suringly. And I walked out, still whistling merrily.
In truth I was very pleased with myself. Every man likes to think that he understands women. I was under the impression that I had proved myself to possess a thorough and complete acquaintance with that intricate subject.
I was soon to find that my knowledge had its limitations. In fact, I have been told more than once since that my plan was a most outrageous one.
Perhaps it was; but it had the effect of wresting those dangerous stones from poor Marie"s regretful hands. A man need not mind having made a fool of himself once or twice on his way through the world, so he has done some good by the process. At the moment, however, I felt no need for any such apology.
CHAPTER IX.
An Unparalleled Insult.
I was thoughtful as I walked across the _place_ in front of the church in the full glare of the afternoon sun. It was past four o"clock; the town was more lively, as folk, their day"s work finished, came out to take their ease and filled the streets and the _cafes_. I felt that I also had done something like a day"s work; but my task was not complete till I had lodged my precious trust safely in the keeping of the d.u.c.h.ess.
There was, however, still time to spare, and I sat down at a _cafe_ and ordered some coffee. While it was being brought my thoughts played round Marie Delha.s.se. I doubted whether I disliked her for being tempted, or liked her for resisting at the last; at any rate, I was glad to have helped her a little. If I could now persuade her to leave Avranches, I should have done all that could reasonably be expected of me; if the duke pursued, she must fight the battle for herself. So I mused, sipping my coffee; and then I fell to wondering what the d.u.c.h.ess would say on seeing me again so soon. Would she see me? She must, whether she liked it or not; I could not keep the diamonds all night. Perhaps she would like.
"There you are again!" I said to myself sharply, and I roused myself from my meditations.
As I looked up, I saw the man Lafleur opposite to me. He had his back toward me, but I knew him, and he was just walking into a shop that faced the _cafe_ and displayed in its windows an a.s.sortment of offensive weapons--guns, pistols, and various sorts of knives. Lafleur went in. I sat sipping my coffee. He was there nearly twenty minutes; then he came out and walked leisurely away. I paid my score and strolled over to the shop. I wondered what he had been buying. Dueling pistols for the duke, perhaps! I entered and asked to be shown some penknives. The shopman served me with alacrity. I chose a cheap knife, and then I permitted my gaze to rest on a neat little pistol that lay on the counter. My simple _ruse_ was most effective. In a moment I was being acquainted with all the merits of the instrument, and the eulogy was backed by the information that a gentleman had bought two pistols of the same make not ten minutes before I entered the shop.
"Really!" said I. "What for?"
"Oh, I don"t know, sir. It is a wise thing often to carry one of these little fellows. One never knows."
"In case of a quarrel with another gentleman?"
"Oh, they are hardly such as we sell for dueling, sir."
"Aren"t they?"
"They are rather pocket pistols--to carry if you are out at night; and we sell many to gentlemen who have occasion in the way of their business to carry large sums of money or valuables about with them. They give a sense of security, sir, even if no occasion arises for their use."
"And this gentleman bought two? Who was he?"
"I don"t know, sir. He gave me no name."
"And you didn"t know him by sight?"