breakfast . . . he's faint . . . he's had nothing to eat this morning. Can you eat some breakfast, dearie?"
"Yes," said Lupin faintly.
"Hurry up with it," said Victoire in urgent, imperative tones; and Charolais left the room at a run.
"Oh, what a life you lead!" said Victoire, or, to be exact, she wailed it. "Are you never going to change? You're as white as a sheet. . . . Can't you speak, dearie?"
She stooped and lifted his legs on to the couch.
He stretched himself, and, without opening his eyes, said in a faint voice: "Oh, Victoire, what a fright I've had!"
"You? You've been frightened?" cried Victoire, amazed.
"Yes. You needn't tell the others, though. But I've had a night of it . . . I did play the fool so . . . I must have been absolutely mad. Once I had changed the coronet under that fat old fool Gournay-Martin's very eyes . . . once you and Sonia were out of their clutches, all I had to do was to slip away. Did I? Not a bit of it! I stayed there out of sheer bravado, just to score off Guerchard. . . . And then I . . . I, who pride myself on being as cool as a
