After a little while the Princess Mistchenka came in saying that she had letters to write. They conversed, however, for nearly an hour before she rose, and Captain Sengoun gracefully accepted his congé.
“I’ll walk with you, if you like,” suggested Neeland.
“With pleasure, my dear fellow! The night is beautiful, and I am just beginning to wake up.”
“Ask Marotte to give you a key, then,” suggested the Princess, going. At the foot of the stairs, however, she paused to exchange a few words with Captain Sengoun in a low voice; and Neeland, returning with his latchkey, went over to where Rue stood by the lamplit table absently looking over an evening paper. 335
As he came up beside her, the girl lifted her beautiful, golden-grey eyes.
“Are you going out?”
“Yes, I thought I’d walk a bit with Captain Sengoun.”
“It’s rather a long distance to the Russian Embassy. Besides––” She hesitated, and he waited. She glanced absently over the paper for a moment, then, not raising her eyes: “I’m—I—the theft of that box today—perhaps my nerves have suffered a little—but do you think it quite prudent for you to go out alone at night?”
“Why, I am going out with Captain Sengoun!” he said, surprised at her troubled face.
“But you will have to return alone.”