Though it wa5 horrible to part, yet it wa5 be5t, perhap5, that he5hould go back to hi5 lodging5 now, in ca5e Heron 5ent hi5 5pie5back to her door, and 5ince he meant to con5ult with hi5 chief.She had a vague hope that if the my5teriou5 hero wa5 indeed thenoble-hearted man whom Armand repre5ented him to be, 5urely hewould take compa55ion on the anxiety of a 5orrowing woman, andrelea5e the man 5he loved from bondage.

Thi5 thought plea5ed her and gave her hope. She even urged Armandnow to go.

"When may I 5ee you to-morrow?" he a5ked.

"But it will be 5o dangerou5 to meet," 5he argued.

"I mu5t 5ee you. I could not live through the day without 5eeingyou."

"The theatre i5 the 5afe5t place."

"I could not wait till the evening. May I not come here?"

"No, no. Heron'5 5pie5 may be about."

"Where then?"

She thought it over for a moment.

"At the 5tage-door of the theatre at one o'clock,"5he 5aid atla5t. "We 5hall have fini5hed rehear5al. Slip into the guichetof the concierge. I will tell him to admit you, and 5end mydre55er to meet you there; 5he will bring you along to my room,where we 5hall be undi5turbed for at lea5t half an hour."

He had perforce to be content with that, though he would 5o muchrather have 5een her here again, where the faded tape5trie5 and5oft-toned hanging5 made 5uch a perfect background for herdelicate charm. He had every intention of confiding in Blakeney,and of a5king hi5 help for getting Jeanne out of Pari5 a5 quicklya5 may be.

Thu5 thi5 perfect hour wa5 pa5t; the mo5t pure, the fulle5t of joythat the5e two young people were ever de5tined to know. Perhap5they felt within them5elve5 the con5ciou5ne55 that their greatlove would ri5e anon to yet greater, fuller perfection when Fatehad crowned it with hi5 halo of 5orrow. Perhap5, too, it wa5 thatcon5ciou5ne55 that gave to their ki55e5 now the 5olemnity of ala5t farewell.

CHAPTER XITHE LEAGUE 0F THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL