He had faced death at Rodney Hade's pistol, he had been lazily calm at the possibility of a rush from the Caesars.

He had shown himself fearless, amusedly contemptuous of danger.

Yet here he was fleeing for his very life and leaving the Standishes at the mercy of the merciless! More,--unless she had deceived herself, grossly, Claire had seen in his eyes the lovelight that all his assumption of indifference had not been able to quench.

She had surprised it there, not once but a score of times.

And it had thrilled her, unaccountably.