"Yes," he repeated, "she went, lugging her pet cat in her arms. She
would go; the life has fascinated her. I begged her not to--I felt I
was disloyal to Byram, too, but what could I do? I tell you, Scarlett,
I wish I had never seen her, never persuaded her to try that foolish
dive. She'll miss some day--like the other one."
"It's my fault more than yours," I said. "Couldn't you persuade her
to give it up?"
"I offered to educate her, to send her to school, to work for her,"
he said. "She only looked at me out of those sea-blue eyes--you know
how the little witch can look you through and through--and then--and
then she walked away into the torch-glare, clasping her cat to her
breast, and I saw her strike a fool of a soldier who pretended to stop
her! Scarlett, she was a strange child--proud and dainty, too, with
all her rags--you remember--a strange, sweet child--almost a woman, at
times, and--I thought her loyal--"
He walked to the window and stared moodily at the sea.
"Meanwhile," I said, quietly, "I am going to get up."
He gave me a look which I interpreted as, "Get up and be damned!" I
complied--in part.
"Oh, help me into these things, will you?" I said, at length; and
instantly he was at my side, gentle and patient, lacing my shoes,
because it made my head ache to bend over, buttoning collar and
cravat, and slipping my coat on while I leaned against the tumbled
bed.
"Well!" I said, with a grimace, and stood up, shakily.
"Well," he echoed, "here we are again, as poor little Grigg says."
"With our salaries in our pockets and our possessions on our backs."
"And no prospects," he added, gayly.
"Not a blessed one, unless we count a prospect of trouble with
Buckhurst."
"He won't trouble us unless we interfere with him," observed Speed,
drumming nervously on the window.
"But I'm going to," I said, surprised.
"Going to interfere?" he asked, wheeling to scowl at me.
"Certainly."
"Why? We're not in government employ. What do we care about this row?
If these Frenchmen are tired of battering the Germans they'll batter
each other, and we can't help it, can we?"
"We can help Buckhurst's annoying Madame de Vassart."
"Only by getting her to leave the country," said Speed. "She will
understand that, too." He paused, rubbing his nose reflectively.
"Scarlett, what do you suppose Buckhurst is up to?"
"I haven't an idea," I replied. "All I know is that, in all
probability, he came here to attempt to rob the treasure-trains--and
that was your theory, too, you remember?"
And I continued, reminding Speed that Buckhurst had collected his
ruffianly franc company in the forest; that the day the cruiser sailed
he had appeared in Paradise to proclaim the commune; that doubtless he
had signalled, from the semaphore, orders for the cruiser's departure;
that a few hours later his red battalion had marched into Paradise.
"Yes, that's all logical," said Speed, "but how could Buckhurst know
the secret-code signals which the cruiser must have received before
she sailed? To hoist them on the semaphore, he must have had a
code-book."