March started from his seat at that.  “Don’t make any noise,” Mary whispered, rising too, and laying a detaining hand on him.  “Nobody will come in here.  They’ll all go now.  We must wait.”

He obeyed tractably enough, only turned toward her now and gazed at her with undissimulated intensity; not, though, as if speculating who she might be, rather as if wondering whether she were really there.

“Don’t you want them to find you, either?” he asked.

“N-not after that,” she stammered; and added instantly, “We mustn’t talk.”

So silent once more, they waited while the late audience defiled in irregular, slow moving groups down the hall toward the stairs.  Mary distinguished her father’s voice, her brother’s, her aunt’s, all taking valiantly just the right social note.  They were covering the retreat in good order.  And she heard Portia Stanton taking her husband home.  But the music room was not yet deserted.  There were sounds of relaxation in there, the striking of a match, the sound of a heavy body—­that of LaChaise, probably—­dropping into an easy chair.

“And now,” Mary heard him say to Paula—­“Now fetch out your composer.  Where have you had him hidden all this while?”

“He’s in there.  I was just waiting until they were really gone.  I’ll get him now, though.  No, sit still; I’d rather, myself.”

March, however, didn’t move; not even when they could hear Paula coming toward the door.  He stood gazing thoughtfully at Mary, his eyes luminous in the dark.  It occurred to her that the conversation in the other room had been in French and that he had not understood it.

“Oh, go—­quickly!” she had just time to breathe.  Then she crowded back, close against the partition wall.  The door opened that way, so that when Paula flung it wide it screened her a little.

The singer stood there, a golden glowing thing in the light she had brought in with her.  “Where are you?” she asked.  Then she came up to March and took him by the arms.  “Was it good?” she asked.  “Was it—­a little—­as you meant it to sound?”

When he did not speak, she laughed,—­a rich low laugh that had a hint of tears in it, pulled him up to her and kissed his cheek.  “You don’t have to answer, my dear,” she said.  “Come in and hear what LaChaise has got to say about it.”

Without effort, irresistibly, she swept him along with her into the music room.

Mary, when they were gone, let herself out by the other door as softly as she had come in.  She fled down one flight of the stairs and a moment later had locked the door of her own room behind her.  She switched on the light, gave a ragged laugh at Sir Galahad; then lay down, just as she was, on the little white bed, her face in the pillow, and cried.

CHAPTER VII

NO THOROUGHFARE

It was hours later, well along toward one o’clock in the morning when Rush coming into his room saw a light under the door communicating with his sister’s and, knocking, was told he might come in.