"Madame, the Countess of Aulnes?" he inquired. "Would you be kind enough to say to her that I arrive from Lorient at her request?"
"I am the Countess of Aulnes," she said in flawless English.
He bowed again. "I am Captain Neeland of the British Expeditionary force."
"May I see your credentials, Captain Nee[pg 101]land?" She had descended the single step of crumbling stone.
"Pardon, Countess; may I first be certain concerning your identity?"
There was a silence. To Neeland she seemed very young in her black gown. Perhaps it was that sombre setting and her dark eyes and hair which made her skin seem so white.
"What proof of my identity do you expect?" she asked in a low voice.
"Only one word, Madame."
She moved a step nearer, bent a trifle toward him. "L'Ombre," she whispered.
From his pocket he drew his credentials and offered them. Among them was her own letter to the authorities at Lorient.