"Circumstances; yes, I understand that; but——"
"But the other you cannot understand," said Herrick quickly. "Is it anything to me, do you suppose, who rules in Montvilliers?"
"Did I not urge that upon you in the forest?" said Christine.
"Yes; and I gave you an answer. My whim compelled me to see the game to the end. There was truth in that answer, but not all the truth. Did you guess that?"
"I thought of it afterward," she answered.
"Circumstances I might break through," Herrick went on. "They may still be looking for a priest in Vayenne, but this dress of the De Bornais would pass me out of the gates. In a few hours I might be across the frontier."
"Why not go?" she asked, looking suddenly up into his eyes.
"Because you hold me."
"And Captain Lemasle, who is a prisoner, trusts you," said Christine. "You are not the man to leave a comrade like that."