She was duly thankful that no one had observed her entrance to the jewel shop, and the refuge of the room, pointed out by the amiable Ram Lal, at once reassured her.

Justine was accorded a brief breathing spell by the fates as the Major settled his plans.
It did not seem so very hard, this first fall from maidenly grace, when Major Alan Hawke, entering the little armory chamber, politely led the startled woman to a seat, with a graceful self-introduction.
"I should have recognized you any where, Mademoiselle Justine," deftly remarked the Major, "by your resemblance to your most charming sister.
You have, I hope, received some private letters from her, with regard to my visit ?" The Swiss gouverriante faltered forth her affirmative answer, while secretly approving the enthusiastic judgment of her distant sister upon this most admirable Crichton of English Majors.

"Then," said Hawke, alluringly, "we must be very good friends, you and I, for we are alone together, among strangers, in this far-away land!" Then he calmly dropped into an easy discourse, in which Geneva and Sister Euphrosyne punctuated the graceful flow of his friendly chat.

There was nothing very sinful in the debut of this little intrigue.
"Let us always speak French!" said Alan Hawke, with a quiet, warning glance at the closed door.

"These same soft-eyed Hindostanees are the very subtlest serpents of the earth.