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He rose to his feet and continued his inquiry Of course she had expected hi, unless one were blind He would have cut off a hand before opening one of the dressing-table drawers But Marette herself had told him to hide behind the curtains if it became necessary, and it was an excusable caution for him to look behind those curtains now, to see what sort of hiding-place he had He returned to the door first and listened There was still no sound from below Then he drew the curtains apart, as Marette had drawn theer He would tell her about it when she returned, if the act needed an apology

His i, filreeted him the faintest possible scent of lilac sachet powder He closed the curtains with a deep breath of utter joy and of consternation The two emotions were a jumble to him The shoes, all that mass of soft stuff behind the curtains, were exquisitely feht out of a woman's soul There were seduction and witchery to it He saw Marette, an enrapturing vision of loveliness, floating before his eyes in that sacred and li of laces and eht before his eyes--in white--with her glorious black hair, her violet eyes, her-And then it was that the incongruity of the thing, the almost sheer impossibility of it, clashed in upon his vision Yet his faith was not shaken Marette Radisson was of the North He could not disbelieve that, even in the face of these as that confronted him

Suddenly he heard a sound that was like the explosion of a gun under his feet It was the opening and closing of the hall door--butThe slalass in the s Kedsty had returned, and he was in a rage Kent extinguished the light so that the room was in darkness Then he went to the door He could hear the quick, heavy tread of Kedsty's feet After that ca of a second door, followed by the rumble of Kedsty's voice Kent was disappointed

The Inspector of Police and Marette were in a roouish as said But he knew that Kedsty had returned to barracks and had discovered what had happened there After an interval his voice was a steady ruher He heard the crash of a chair Then the voice ceased, and after it ca of Kedsty's feet Not once did he catch the sound of Marette's voice, but he was sure that in the interval of silence she was talking Then Kedsty's voice broke forthinto the sill of the door Each er It was not physical violence he feared He did not believe Kedsty capable of perpetrating that upon a woman It was fear that he would take her to barracks The fact that Marette had told him there was a powerful reason why Kedsty would not do this failed to assure him For she had also told him that Kedsty would kill her, if he dared He held himself in readiness At a cry from her, or the first alow, he would give battle in spite of Marette's warning