"I am very glad," he answered, in a low tone. "It has been a
delightful evening for me."
"And for me," Anna echoed.
A curious silence ensued. Anna was sitting before the fire a little
distance from him--Ennison himself remained standing. Some shadow of
reserve seemed to have crept up between them. She laughed nervously,
but kept her eyes averted.
"It is strange that we should have met Annabel," she said. "I am
afraid your broken dinner engagement will not be so easy to explain."
He was very indifferent. In fact he was thinking of other things.
"I am going," he said, "to be impertinent. I do not understand why you
and your sister should not see more of one another. You must be lonely
here with only a few men friends."
She shook her head.
"Loneliness," she said, "is a luxury which I never permit myself.
Besides--there is Sir John."
"Sir John is an ass!" he declared.
"He is Annabel's husband," she reminded him.
"Annabel!" He looked at her thoughtfully. "It is rather odd," he said,
"but I always thought that your name was Annabel and hers Anna."
"Many other people," she remarked, "have made the same mistake."
"Again," he said, "I am going to be impertinent. I never met your
sister in Paris, but I heard about her more than once. She is not in
the least like the descriptions of her."
"She has changed a good deal," Anna admitted.
"There is some mystery about you both," he exclaimed, with sudden
earnestness. "No, don't interrupt me. Why may I not be your friend?
Somehow or other I feel that you have been driven into a false
position. You represent to me an enigma, the solution of which has
become the one desire of my life. I want to give you warning that I
have set myself to solve it. To-morrow I am going to Paris."
She seemed unmoved, but she did not look at him.
"To Paris! But why? What do you hope to discover there?"
"I do not know," he answered, "but I am going to see David Courtlaw."
Then she looked up at him with frightened eyes.
"David Courtlaw!" she repeated. "What has he to do with it?"
"He was your sister's master--her friend. A few days ago I saw him
leave your house. He was like a man beside himself. He began to tell
me something--and stopped. I am going to ask him to finish it."
She rose up.
"I forbid it!" she said firmly.
They were standing face to face now upon the hearthrug. She was very
pale, and there was a look of fear in her eyes.
"I will tell you as much as this," she continued. "There is a secret.
I admit it. Set yourself to find it out, if you will--but if you do,
never dare to call yourself my friend again."