And I saw by her pale anxious face that she was desperate.
Therefore I kissed her once again with fondness, and assuring her of my trust and love, left her, promising to return next morning.
Yes, I foolishly left her to the threats and insults of that man who knew her secret.
Ah! Had I only known the truth!
Chapter Twenty Five.
Whereby Richard Keene is Surprised.
In the entrance-hall of the hotel I saw the man Logan, the man who held my love’s secret, seated in a chair patiently awaiting her summons. There were others, well-dressed men and women, in evening toilettes lounging there in the hour before retiring. It is curious with what studied ease women lounge at hotels. The woman who is alert and upright at home falls into the most graceful poses after dinner at a hotel, presumably to court the admiration of strangers.
The man Logan, however, still wore his light overcoat over his dinner-jacket, and his head was buried in an evening paper, whether, however, this was to conceal his features or not I was unable to determine. Still, he was wanted by the police, and was therefore taking every precaution against being recognised. From where I stood at the back of the large square hall, I saw that his features had been slightly altered by the darkening of his eyebrows, undoubtedly with that object in view.