The door was already opened. Julien seemed suddenly transformed into a
graven image. He said nothing, merely gazing at the woman who walked
calmly past him into the room. Kendricks, who also recognized her,
withdrew his pipe from his mouth. This was a situation indeed! The
woman, with her hands inside her muff, looked from one to the other of
the two men.

"Am I interrupting a very important interview?" she asked calmly. "If
not, perhaps you could spare me five minutes of your time, Sir Julien?"

Kendricks recovered himself at once.

"I'll wait for you downstairs, Julien," he declared.

He caught up his hat and departed, closing the door after him. Julien
was still motionless.

"Well?" she began.

He drew a little breath. He was beginning to regain his
self-possession.

"My dear Mrs. Carraby," he said, "with your wonderful knowledge of the
world and its ways, will you permit me to point out that your presence
here is a little embarrassing to me and might, under certain
circumstances, be a good deal more embarrassing to you?"

Mrs. Carraby smiled. She stood where the sunlight touched her brown
hair and her quiet, pale face. She was one of those women who are never
afraid of the light. Her face was of that strange, self-contained