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Rh "But it won't displease me; far from it. Do explain."

"If I come back, perhaps I shan't have the strength of mind not to grow fond of you, and that will make you angry."

"But why? How odd you are! Make yourself a friend of the house. I shall be very pleased."

"But then I shan't be able to like you as you like M. Hervart."

"Oh! I don't think that would be possible."

"And you won't like me as you like him."

She broke into such ingenuous laughter that Leonor assured himself that she had not understood anything of his insinuations. However, he was wrong, and her laughter proved it. She had laughed just because the idea had suddenly come to her that another man might have played Xavier's part in what had happened. The idea seemed to her comic and she had laughed. But the idea had come, and that was a great point.

It was such a great point that in her turn she looked at Leonor, and this time she did not laugh; but she had no time to make any