“True, but a mere unknown, a shadow.  Besides, I had no reason previously to know that a fraud was contemplated—­those rascals told a most plausible story, leaving me to believe I served the real heirs.  Now I comprehend their true purpose and—­and, well, knowing you it has become personal.”

“I do not altogether understand.”

“Why, it is simply this,” I went on desperately, “I want to serve you, and I want you to respect me.  Down in your heart you have n’t really been assured that I was not one of that gang of conspirators.  You came down here to watch me.  Now I am going to stand up as Gordon Craig, and fight it out for you.”

There was a knot of blue ribbon at her throat, and I reached out and unpinned it before she had time to protest.

“See, there are your colors, and I do battle under them.  Whatever the final results you are never going to doubt me any more—­are you?”

Her eyes were veiled by long lashes, and I could see the heaving of her breasts.

“No—­no.  I scarcely think I ever did doubt you, only it was all very strange.  Nothing seemed real; it was more like a stage-play in which I acted a part—­our first meeting, our being thrown together on this quest.  I have not known what to think, even of myself.”

“We are both getting our heads above the mist now,” I interrupted gently, “and deep as the mystery appears, when finally solved it will likely prove a very sordid, commonplace affair.  The main thing is for us to thoroughly understand and trust each other.”

“You need not doubt me.”

“I have already learned that.  It is more important that you fully trust me.”

“I do,” and both her hands were impulsively extended.  “I have from the very first.  I did not come here to watch, but because I believed in you.  Truly this was my motive rather than any thought of the property.  Indeed I hardly realized at the start that this was my affair; I merely had a feeling that you needed me.  That—­that morning on the bench,” she paused, her voice choking in her throat, her eyes misted, “why, I—­I was scarcely rational; my mind could not even grasp clearly what you endeavored to tell.  I was so far from being myself that I failed to recognize my own name.  Perhaps that was not strange as I always lived under another.  So it was not that, not any selfish motive, which impelled me to accompany you.  I came because—­because I knew you needed me.  I had an intuition that you were going into danger, into some trap.  I cannot explain, no woman can, how such knowledge lays hold upon her.  I merely acted instinctively.  It was not until that afternoon that I realized clearly what this all meant to me personally.  I seemed to wake up as from a dream.  Then I sat down in the rest room of one of those big department stores, and thought it all out.  At first I determined to tell you everything, but I did—­did not know you at all.  I trusted you, I believed in you; you had impressed me as being a real man.  But this was merely a woman’s intuition.  There were circumstances that made me doubt, that compelled caution.  I—­I had to test you, Gordon Craig.”