“Then let me tell you, Monsieur, that there is a place near here that will cure you of the illness from which you suffer.” The man took a card from his pocket and commenced to scribble on it.
“But I’m not suffering from any——”
“Ah, then, it will cure mademoiselle.”
The man laid his card on the table, and again raised his hat
By the time Teddy had recovered from his surprise, the stranger had vanished. He hurried into the street and gazed up and down. When he returned to the courtyard. Desire’s window was in darkness. Picking up the card, he struck a match and read the words, “Les Baux.” What was Les Baux? Where was it? He fell asleep thinking of the miracle that had been promised; when he awoke next morning he was still thinking of it. As he dressed he heard the five faint notes of the goatman. Life had become fantastic. Perhaps——
He set about making inquiries. It was a ruined city in the hills he discovered. Oh, yes, there had been several books written about it and innumerable poems. It had been a nest of human eagles once—the home of troubadours. It was the place where the Queens of Beauty and the Courts of Love had started. It was said that if a lover could persuade a reluctant girl to go there with him, she would prove no longer reluctant It was only a superstition; of course Monsieur understood that Monsieur hurried to purchase a guide-book to Les Baux. While he waited among the rhododendrons for Desire, he read it Then he looked up time-tables and found that the pleasantest way to go was from Arles, and that from there one had to drive a half day’s journey.
Desire surprised him at his investigations. She was all in white, with a pink sash about her waist, her dress turned bade deeply at the neck for coolness and her arms bare to die elbow. She looked extremely young and pretty.
“’Ulloa, old dear!” she cried, bursting into Cockney. She peered over his shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Looking up routes.”
“Routes!” She raised her brows.