"Oh, what fun, Mr.Aycon!" "It seems to me rather a serious matter," I ventured to observe.

"Leaving out all question of--of what's correct, you know" (I became very apologetic at this point), "it's just a little risky, isn't it ?" Jean evidently thought so; he nodded solemnly over his cheroot.
The duchess still laughed; indeed, she was wiping her eyes with her handkerchief.
"What an opinion to have of me!" she gasped at last.

"I'm not coming with you, Mr.Aycon." I dare say my face showed relief: I don't know that I need be ashamed of that.

My change of expression, however, set the duchess a-laughing again.
"I never saw a man look so glad," said she gayly.

Yet somewhere, lurking in the recesses of her tone--or was it of her eyes ?--there was a little reproach, a little challenge.