"Come, come!" said I; "Colonel Moore is totally deaf, at times. I
promise your secret shall remain within this room."
"_My_ secret!" she laughed. "Really, Armand, you are delicious."
"I don't quite understand," I said.
She laughed again. "It seems to me that why I followed you to Valeria,
instead of coming with you, is, particularly, your secret. You
wouldn't care for His Majesty to know it, would you?"
"If it's my secret," said I, "don't you think I ought to be let into
it?"
She thought a moment--evidently considering how much she should reveal
to me. Of course, she understood what I wanted and why; but this order
of mine, restricting her within the Capital, had evidently been totally
unexpected, and she was set upon having some explanation of it. Hence,
she was ready to bargain.
"Come!" said I. "In this game you're playing, you will have to
disclose it very soon, anyway."
"But, it seems so silly, Armand, to tell you what you yourself
arranged."
"Oh! So I arranged for your coming!" I exclaimed. "I suppose I also
arranged for what you have done since you've been here."
She smiled sweetly. "Not quite all, my dear. I've been arranging a
few things myself, thanks to your perfidy.
Pages:
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213