“It seems to me you are hardly in a position to choose, madam,” I replied, amused at her decision.
She hesitated a moment, and then said, desperately:
“Do you know who I am, Hugh Maxwell? I am Margaret Nairn!”
Had the solid ground opened beneath my feet I could not have been more confounded.
“Margaret!” I cried, when I could find my voice. “Margaret—here? I cannot understand. Speak to me again!”
“Yes, Hugh, I am Margaret—Margaret Nairn. I am Mme. de St. Just.”
“You have been here all along and never let me know? I cannot understand.”
“Do not try to understand now. Hugh! I beseech you to take me on trust and help me to go on.”
But as she spake I caught sight of a moving light.
“Do not speak another word. Some one is coming. Crouch down here until I see who it is.”