"I do," said Rachel, "and I will--until to-morrow."

"Then there are one or two things that I can promise you," said Steel,
with the heartiness of a man who has gained his point. "You will not be
compromised in any sort or kind of way; your self-respect shall not
suffer; nothing shall vex or trouble you, if I can help it, while you
remain at this hotel. And this I guarantee--whether you like it or
not--unless you tell them, not a single soul in the place shall have the
faintest inkling as to who you are. Now, only keep your why and
wherefore till to-morrow," he concluded cheerily, "and I can promise you
almost every satisfaction. But here we are at the hotel."

He thrust his umbrella outside, pointing to a portico and courtyard on
the right; and in another moment Rachel was receiving the bows of
powdered footmen in crimson plush, while Steel, hat in hand, his white
hair gleaming in the electric light, led the way to the lift.

Rachel's recollection of that night was ever afterwards disjointed and
involved as that of any dream; but there were certain features that she
never forgot. There was the beautiful suite of rooms, filled with
flowers that must have cost a small fortune at that time of year, and in
one of them a table tastefully laid. Rachel remembered the dazzle of
silver and the glare of napery, the hot plates, the sparkling wine, the
hot-house fruit, and the deep embarrassment of sitting down to all this
in solitary state. Mr. Steel had but peeped in to see that all was in
accordance with his orders; thereafter not even a waiter was allowed to
enter, but only Rachel's attendant, to whose charge she had been
committed; a gentle and assiduous creature, quiet of foot and quick of
hand, who spoke seldom but in a soothing voice, and with the delicate