God help her! You have influence over her, Jesson. I wish you would
persuade her to have him put under restraint. She could identify him
quite well as the man who shot at her on the terrace of her house, and
so could you. Or if she will not do this, she might keep away from
England for a few more months."

"Influence over her," Douglas repeated, with a sudden bitterness in his
tone. "I have so much, that although I was with her on that terrible
evening, and have written to her time after time, I have never had a
line from her since she left England."

Drexley laughed oddly.

"You, too," he exclaimed. "Your day is over then. Well, it was a short
and a merry one. You bear it well, my young friend."

Douglas shrugged his shoulders, but avoided Drexley's earnest gaze.

"Emily de Reuss was very kind to me," he said, "but she is not the only
woman in the world." "For those who have known her," Drexley said, "none
can come after."

"Then I must be one of those who have never known her," Douglas
answered, with a lightness which sounded natural enough, "for I am going
to take the most charming little girl in London to the theatre
to-night."

Drexley pointed downwards. The slouching figure which they had been
watching had half collapsed against the railings. He was obviously
overpowered with drink.