She took the tumbler from him and drank the contents thirstily; as she put down the empty glass her ungloved hand came within the radius of the lamp-light. It looked shrunken and attenuated, the rings upon the thin fingers hung loosely and jangled one against the other. She sat back wearily, looking up at him with an eager, anxious expression.
"I must ask you not to keep me long," she said again, "I may be missed at any moment. It is important I should return as soon as possible."
Count Mellikoff drew a chair in front of her, and sitting down leant slightly forward, joining his hands together by the finger-tips. His position and gesture recalled another like occasion in which she and he were the chief actors; she shuddered violently and drew back from him involuntarily.
"Miss James," began Count Vladimir, in his cold, even tones, "I beg you will believe that I am fully alive to your disinterestedness in thus coming to me, and also to the risks you run in so doing. But, as I told you during our first conversation, in seeking your co-operation in my work I was well aware you would have to encounter much that must of necessity be disagreeable to you, since defying or breaking the canons of conventionality is always an unpleasant experience. You, however, elected to become my partner in this work—an honour of which I am deeply appreciative—and you were content to chance the consequences if you could but work out your own ends in furthering mine. Am I not correct in my statements?"
"Yes, yes, oh yes," she replied, hurriedly. "You are quite right, perfectly correct."
"I can assure you, mademoiselle," went on Count Vladimir, with a little smile, leaning somewhat more forward until the heavy, languorous scent of the gardenia seemed almost to stifle her, "that I have no desire to detain you longer than is absolutely necessary, though, were I to consult my pleasure, I would willingly lengthen the visit of one for whom I entertain such sentiments of respectful admiration. However, since we cannot consult inclination, let us proceed to duty. What news have you to give me of our dramatis personæ? Let us commence with Philip Tremain."
At the mention of this name the girl's white face paled perceptibly, and her lips quivered. She loved Philip as well and as generously as it lay in her nature to love any one; and though he had passed her by, even when conscious of her love for him, it was none the less bitter to find herself in the position of a spy and informer against him.
Vladimir Mellikoff saw her hesitancy and read its meaning.
"It's not pleasant, I admit, mademoiselle," he said, "to be obliged to speak uncompromisingly of any one; especially must this be the case now and with you, when you recall Mr. Tremain's pronounced—friendship."
His jibe told. It was this very friendliness of Philip's attitude towards her against which she most revolted and beat her passion to tatters; she could better have borne his anger or hate, than his calm indifference of friendly interest.