For a moment he stood staring after them, his hand clutching at the bark of the tree.  A feeling that was almost physical pain swept over him as he realized the truth.  Josephine had not gone to her room.  He understood now.  She had purposely evaded him that she might be with Jean alone in the forest.  Three days before Philip would not have thought so much of this.  Now it hurt.  Josephine had given him her love, yet in spite of that she was placing greater confidence in the half-breed than in him.  This was what hurt—­at first.  In the next breath his overwhelming faith in her returned to him.  There was some tremendous reason for her being here with Jean.  What was it?  He stepped out from behind the tree as he stared after them.

His eyes caught the pale glow of something that he had not seen before.  It was a campfire, the illumination of it only faintly visible deeper in the forest.  Toward this Josephine and Jean were hurrying.  A low exclamation of excitement broke from his lips as a still greater understanding dawned upon him.  His hand trembled.  His breath came quickly.  In that camp there waited for Josephine and Croisset those who were playing the other half of the game in which he had been given a blind man’s part!  He did not reason or argue with himself.  He accepted the fact.  And no longer with hesitation his hand fell to his automatic, and he followed swiftly after Josephine and the half-breed.

He began to see what Jean had meant.  In the room he had simply prepared Josephine for this visit.  It was in the forest—­and not in Adare House, that the big test of the night was to come.

It was not curiosity that made him follow them now.  More than ever he was determined to keep his faith with Jean and the girl, and he made up his mind to draw only near enough to give his assistance if it should become necessary.  Roused by the conviction that Josephine and the half-breed were not making this mysterious tryst without imperilling themselves, he stopped as the campfire burst into full view, and examined his pistol.  He saw figures about the fire.  There were three, one sitting, and two standing.  The fire was not more than a hundred yards ahead of him, and he saw no tent.  A moment later Josephine and Jean entered the circle of fireglow, and the sitting man sprang to his feet.  As Philip drew nearer he noticed that Jean stood close to his companion, and that the girl’s hand was clutching his arm.  He heard no word spoken, and yet he could see by the action of the man who had been sitting that he was giving the others instructions which took them away from the fire, deeper into the gloom of the forest.

Seventy yards from the fire Philip dropped breathlessly behind a cedar log and rested his arm over the top of it.  In his hand was his automatic.  It covered the spot of gloom into which the two men had disappeared.  If anything should happen—­he was ready.