“Yes. Maud is in peril.”
“And for that reason, I suppose, is living incognito?”
“Possibly,” she answered, not without hesitation. “There is, I believe, a second reason.”
“What is that?”
“I scarcely like to tell you, Mr Rolfe. We are strangers, you and I.”
“But do tell me. I am very anxious to know. If she is your friend, she has, no doubt, told you of our love.”
“Well, she wishes to avoid you.”
“Avoid me—why?”
“Because acquaintance with you increases her peril.”
“How absurd!” he cried. “How can her love for me affect her father’s political opponents in Servia?”