His thoughts were entirely
concerned with Adrienne, and he was unusually grave and preoccupied.
He ordered a servant to bring him some sandwiches and a glass of wine,
and when he and Diana were once more alone, be announced abruptly:--
"I shall have to leave home for a few days."
"Leave home?" echoed Diana.
"Yes. Adrienne must go out of town, and I'm going to run down to some
little country place and find rooms for her and Mrs. Adams."
"Find rooms?" Diana stared at him amazedly. "But surely--won't they go
to Red Gables?"
Max shook his head.
"No. It wouldn't be safe after this--this affair. The same brute might
try to get her again. You see, it's quite well known that she has a
house at Crailing."
"Who is it that is such an enemy of hers?"
Max hesitated a moment.
"It might very well be some former actor, some poor devil of a fellow
down on his luck, who has brooded over his fancied wrongs till he was
half-mad," he said, at length.
Diana's eyes flashed. So that item of news intended for the morning
papers was also to be handed out for home consumption!
"What steps are you taking to trace the man?"
Again Max paused before replying. To Diana, his hesitation strengthened
her conviction that he was, as usual, withholding something from her.
"Well?" she repeated. "What steps are you taking?"
"None," he answered at last reluctantly.
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