Gramont obeyed, and dropped into a chair.
He was absurdly conscious of his own confusion. He tried to speak, but words and thoughts failed him. Torn between pride and chagrin, he found himself able to say nothing. Explanations, at any time, came to him with difficulty; now, at least, he felt that he could not lie to this girl. And how was he to tell her the truth?
And how had Lucie come into the affair? This staggered him above all else. Was she behind the theft of the loot? It must be. How long had she suspected him, then? He had thought Jachin Fell the sole danger-point—he had never dreamed that this gray-eyed Athene could be tracing down the Masquer! He tried to visualize the situation more clearly and his brain whirled. He knew, of course, that she was fairly intimate with Fell, but he was not aware of any particular connection——
He glanced up at her suddenly, and surprised a glint of laughter in her eyes as she watched him.
"You seem to be rather astonished," she observed.
"I am." Gramont drew a deep breath. "You—do you know that those boxes were taken from my car?"
She nodded again. "Certainly. They were brought to me."
"Then you had someone on my trail?" Gramont flushed a little as he put the question to her.
"No. I have been chosen to settle affairs with you, that is all. It has been learned from the note in the opened box that you were not criminal in what you did."
She leaned forward, her deep eyes searching him with a steady scrutiny.