I did not reply.
Bending over, her lips met mine in one fierce passionate caress.
Next second we were startled by a strange noise, sounding suspiciously like a footstep upon the gravel. We listened, but the sound was not repeated.
“Hark!” she whispered anxiously. “If my husband should find you here, would it not compromise me?”
With a force I should never have suspected, she led me to the door, and, after giving me a gentle push, locked it behind me.
“Adieu!” I murmured, as tenderly as I could.
There was no answer.
Through the keyhole I could see Mariette kneeling before a crucifix on the opposite wall.
Then I turned and went forth into the darkness.