“Marie Josephine!” he repeated. “Marie Josephine! Are you speaking of the Little Mademoiselle? I am shepherd to the Little Mademoiselle.”
“The Little Mademoiselle!” Humphrey stared and stared at Dian, and so did Vivi. Rosanne had spoken of a shepherd.
“The Little Mademoiselle!” This time it was Vivi who exclaimed, gazing up at Dian with her great black eyes.
“Yes,” he said gently. “You are like some one we call the Little Mademoiselle, some one who is a long way from here.”
Humphrey Trail turned so pale that his face looked not unlike the first glimpse of a full moon. Dian saw this and spoke to him with concern.
“There is something that has surprised you, and your worry has upset you!”
“Aye, I am fair flashed! Maybe it’s just the worry and the crowds.” He hesitated, and in that moment the angels must have been very near! Dared he take this stranger to the alley? Was he in some way a part of it all? Could it be, by the wildest chance, that the Little Mademoiselle was—— But no—Humphrey Trail caught Dian’s arm and shook it. “As there is a God above, tell me I can trust tha,” he said, and the shepherd answered him at once:
“You can trust me. It was meant to be so.”
They walked through the rue Saint Antoine in silence, Humphrey Trail holding fast to Vivi’s hand on one side, Dian’s long, slow stride keeping pace with their short, quick ones. They turned into the dark, dank alley. Humphrey opened the door which sagged on its hinges. They mounted the rickety stairs, waited while Humphrey unlocked the door, and then went inside, Vivi running ahead.
Rosanne was standing by the fire which was smouldering sulkily in the rusty grate. She turned at the sound of the unlocking of the door, and was facing them when they entered. She saw Dian before the other two, because he so towered above them. For a moment she stood still as a statue. Then with a cry that was like a sob she ran across the room to him.