wide circle of women of his acquaintance, thosesociety dames who borrowed his money, ate his dinners, and gave tone tohis entertainments. And this was exactly how she desired to impresshim.
As the weeks went on, the society swallows returned from wintering inthe South, and the London season began in earnest. The millionaire, afrequent visitor at his sister's house, often met the pleasant-facedgoverness, who very cleverly succeeded in increasing her popularityuntil she was well-known to Mrs Fitzroy's lady friends, and declared bythem all to be "a perfect treasure."
None knew, however, save little Bertha--who feared to speak lestmademoiselle should punish her--of a rather curious incident whichoccurred one morning as she was sitting with her charge in KensingtonGardens. A tall, dark-faced, middle-aged man with black moustache,well-dressed in frock coat and silk hat, a fine diamond pin in hisscarf, approached, raised his hat, uttered some mysterious words inItalian, and then took a seat at her side.
At first mademoiselle regarded the stranger with distrust, until he drewa paper from his pocket and allowed her to read it. Then, apparentlysatisfied, she listened to all he told her. But as it was in Italian,the child could not understand. She only noticed that mademoiselleturned rather pale, and seemed to be expressing deep regret.
The dark-faced man spoke slowly and calmly, while, on her part, sheshrugged her shoulders and showed her palms, and responded with quickvolubility, while the child sat at her side regarding the stranger inopen-eyed wonder.
Presently, after a long argument, the man took from his pocket a smalltin box of matches which he gave to her. Without examining it, shetransferred it quickly to her coat-pocket, and then, after a few partingwords, the man rose, raised his hat, and strode away towards Queen'sGate, swinging his cane airily as he walked.
"Who was that?" inquired the child after he had gone. "What did he giveyou, mademoiselle?"
"Nothing that concerns you, dearest," was her governess's reply."Remember you must say nothing of that m'sieur--nothing, you recollect.You must never mention him to your mother or to anyone, because if youdo I shall punish you very severely, and I shall never, never take youout with me again. You understand--eh?"
The child's face fell, and her eyes were fixed straight before her asshe answered, "Very well, mademoiselle. I won't say anything."
"That's a good girl," her governess responded. "Some day you shall havea watch like your uncle's if you are very good," she added, for Berthawas very fond of watches, and especially of Morgan-Mason's goldrepeater. She liked to hear it chime upon its musical bell.
One afternoon a few days later Filomena watched from her window themillionaire descend from his motor and enter the house. First shehurried into the schoolroom, where Bertha was sitting with the maid, andthen she leisurely descended to the drawing-room, where she found MrsFitzroy and her brother talking together.
"Oh, m'sieur," laughed the governess, "Mademoiselle Bertha saw youarrive, and has sent me to ask a favour."
"A favour!" he exclaimed. "Of course, I always grant the young lady'srequests when she asks nicely."
"Mademoiselle wants to know if you will let her hear your watch. Sinceyou showed it to her a fortnight ago she has allowed me no peace. So Ipromised I would come and ask of you."
"Certainly," was the millionaire's reply, taking his repeater and thegold albert from his pocket. "You know how to make it strike. I showedyou the other day," he laughed as he handed it to her.
"I will be ve-ry careful of it, m'sieur, and will bring it back whenmademoiselle is satisfied. She desires greatly one like it."
"Some day I'll give her one, when she's older," laughed Morgan-Masongood-humouredly.
And then, when the door had closed behind her, his sister remarked--
"Mademoiselle is most devoted to Bertha. So very different to MissGardener. She humours her in every way, and at the same time is a verygood teacher. It is really wonderful how the child is improving."
"I quite agree, Maud. She's an excellent girl--and I hope you pay herwell. She deserves it."
And then they fell to discussing plans for a big dinner-party at theCarlton on the following Friday.
Meanwhile, mademoiselle ran upstairs with the watch in her hand, firstto her own room, where she remained five minutes or so, and then took itto the schoolroom, where she delighted her little pupil by making thewatch strike.
"Make it go again, mademoiselle," exclaimed little Bertha, delighted atbeing allowed to hold it in her hand. And again and again the governesspressed the ring and caused it to chime, until at last she was compelledto take it forcibly from the child's hand and carry it back again to thegrey-whiskered man in the drawing-room, returning a word of thanks asshe handed it back to him.
That same evening, after her charge had been put to bed, and during MrsFitzroy's absence at Lady Claridge's dance, she went out and droppedinto the pillar-box at the corner of Grosvenor Square a small packet ina strong linen-lined envelope addressed to "Giuseppe Gallo, Esq., careof H. Bird, Newsagent, 386 Westminster Bridge Road, S.E."
And then she returned to the little sitting-room set apart for her, andsmiled confidently to herself as she settled to read the _Tribuna_,which her mother sent her regularly each day.
A week later the household at Brook Street was thrown into a state ofagitation and surprise when the vulgarian dashed round in a cab andinformed his sister of a most audacious entry made by thieves into hissplendid flat at Queen Anne's Mansions, and how they had turned ittopsy-turvy. He had, it appeared, been absent, speaking for aparliamentary candidate up at Leicester, and his valet had slept in theflat alone, the other servants being on holiday, when during the nightburglars had entered by a window from some leads adjoining, and hadopened everything, even to his safe, and had apparently made a minuteexamination of every private paper he possessed.
He had missed nothing, except a few cigars; but what puzzled thedetectives most was the manner in which safe, writing-table, and twochests of drawers, which he always kept locked, had been opened. Eitherthe thieves possessed all the keys--and this did not appear possible, asthey were all in the trusted valet's room--or else they possessed amaster-key to everything, the same as that which the Member ofParliament wore upon his watch-chain.
The millionaire was furious. He even spoke to the Home Secretary aboutit when he met him in the lobby of the House. But the manner in whichthe safe had been opened was a complete mystery--a mystery to all exceptto mademoiselle.
The vulgarian little suspected, when he so innocently lent his watch tohis niece, that the handsome governess had taken an impression in wax ofthe small master-key upon the other end of his chain, or that she hadthat very same evening posted the wax impression in the tin matchbox tothe clever secret agent of the Italian War Office--the man who with twocolleagues had come over from Paris specially, who had met Mademoisellein Kensington Gardens, and who was known at the newsagent's in theWestminster Bridge Road as Giuseppe Gallo, a civil engineer, seekingemployment.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
IN CONFIDENCE.
General Arturo Valentini, commanding the Italian forces on the Alpinefrontier of France, sprang nimbly from an open cab, and helped out hiscompanion--a young lady in deep mourning, with her long crape veil down,as is the custom in Italy.
The sentries at the big arched gateway of the military prison of Turin,recognising the commanding officer, stood at the salute, and inresponse, the short, dapper little man in his uniform and row of ribbonson his breast raised his hand to his peaked cap quickly inacknowledgment, and passed at once into the great bare courtyardsurrounded by the high, white, inartistic outer offices of the prison.
The soldiers off duty, who were lounging and gossiping, quickly drewthemselves up to attention as he crossed the courtyard to the office ofthe governor, walking with his firm military gait and spurs clinking,and his sword trailing over the stones. He was one of the smartest andbest soldiers Italy possessed, a man who had shown an iron nerve inthose turbulent days of t
he struggle for unity, a man of rigiddiscipline and yet of kindly heart. The loss of his only son in thereverses in Abyssinia two years before had left him without kith or kin,and although he commanded a military district as large as England, andwas also in possession of a private income, he led a simple life at hisheadquarters there in Turin, going into society as little as possible,and ever working to improve the condition of his command. His districtwas the most important of any in Italy, for in case of hostilities itwould be the first point attacked; and as triumph usually lies withthose who strike the first blow, it was his object to enter Franceeffectively and on the instant, if the dogs of war were ever let loose.
With this end in view, he was untiring in his efforts to perfect thedefences of those many valleys and Alpine passes by which