He smiled.
"I can assure you that I find it delightful to be back again," he said, "although I have enjoyed my work very much. By the by, who introduced you to the man whom you were with when I found you?"
"My stepmother," she answered. "He is the man, by the by, whom I am told I am to marry."
Andrew looked as he felt for a moment, shocked.
"I am sorry to hear that," he said quietly.
"You need not be afraid," she answered. "I am not of age, and I was brought up in a country where one's guardians have a good deal of authority, but nothing in the world would ever induce me to marry a creature like that."
His face cleared somewhat.
"I am very surprised," he said, "that your stepmother should have thought of it. He is an unfit companion for any self-respecting woman."
"I do not understand," Jeanne said quietly, "why they are so anxious that I should marry quickly, but I know that my stepmother thinks of nothing else in connection with me. Look! They are coming through the conservatories. Let us go out by the other door."
They came face to face with a tall, grave-looking man, who wore an order around his neck. Andrew stopped suddenly.