Her irony was not lost on him. He was silent a moment, regarding her soberly.
"Countess, you are too clever to be unkind—your lips too lovely to utter words so painful. I could not do you harm—it is impossible. I pray that you will believe me."
"I am merely taking you at face value, Herr Hauptmann," she returned coolly. "You have told me that you are merely a thinking machine, or a cog in the wheel of efficiency, which plans my elimination——"
"A figure of speech. Your silence was what I meant."
"Ah, silence! Perhaps. It seems that I have already said enough."
"Quite," he smiled. "You have set Europe in a turmoil—another Helen——"
"With another Paris in your background?" she shot at him.
He smiled, lowering his gaze to the ash of his cigarette.
"You speak in riddles."
"It's your trade to solve them."