The Launching of Roger Brook

passionate Italians would have raped me in the street. As it was I had to have a footman sleeping outside my door each night. But Humphrey would have made a poor companion for such a journey. I travelled with my father, and I'd sooner see the sights with him than I would with most men.'

'You're monstrous fortunate,' Roger told her. 'Or perhaps I should say, clever. Since it seems to me you both have your cake and eat it.'

' 'Tis the art of life to know what one wants and have at it,' she smiled. 'And if I am any judge, dear Roger, I think from the fine figure you now cut, that you have become not altogether inept at that.'

'If so, I owe more than I can ever repay to you,' he said seriously. 'You not only made me a man, but by your gift of yourself to me showed me what was worth having and what to cast aside. Had things been otherwise my first experiences might well have been so sordid as to alter my whole outlook.'

She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek. ' 'Tis good to hear that you are fastidious in your loves, and not become a rake. I hate a man who turns up the skirts of every wench he meets in a dark passage.'

For a further ten minutes they talked of old times. Then Jenny came in with a tray of hot dishes that she put upon a heater, on a side table, and left them to help themselves.

While Roger opened the champagne, Georgina served the food, then they sat down to supper.

They ate Well but with long pauses between each dish for talking over their wine. Halfway through the meal Georgina urged him to keep her in suspense no longer about his doings, so he began with their parting four years before and his meeting with Dan, the smuggler. He told her how he had narrowly escaped both becoming a prisoner in the French galleys, and drowning; of his meeting with De Roubec and how the Chevalier had swindled him out of her jewels; of old Doctor Aristotle Fenelon and their disastrous meeting with Joseph Fouche; of how Athehais had rescued him and he had then become the whipping boy of a lawyer's apprentices; of the Legers' kindness to him and his hopeless longing for Athehais; of his employment by the Marquis de Rochambeau to go into the matter of the Domaine de St. Hilaire; of his becoming the Marquis's junior secretary and his friendship with the Abbe de Perigord; of his promotion on the Abbe d'Heury's death and of Athehais's illness; of her love for him and the international intrigues of her father; of the appearance of de la Tour d'Auvergne upon the scene and of Athehais's engagement; of his duel with de Caylus and his flight with the eloping couple; of his escape from France and the assault that Fouche had made upon him; of his dash to London and recovery of the letter; of his interview with Mr. Pitt and his mission to the United Provinces; of his duel with George Gunston and of his present danger of being extradited to France on a warrant for murder.

When he had done it was nearly midnight, although Georgina had hardly spoken a word, except from time to time to encourage him to go on. So fascinated was she by his story that they had not even moved, and were still sitting over the table. At length, when the tale was told, she said:

'Thou hast fulfilled all thy promise, Roger. 'Twas a hard, uphill road that thou wast forced to tread, but having breasted the hill I foresee a great future for thee.'

He made a grimace. 'I pray you may be right; but unless Mr. Pitt is prepared to divert the normal course of justice on my behalf I may yet find myself handed over to the tender mercies of the French; and if that occurs M. de Rochambeau will make it his business to see that I die upon a scaffold.'

'Have no fear,' she smiled. 'In view of your services, Billy Pitt could never look in his own mirror again did he refuse to intervene. But he is a good and loyal friend, so I have no doubt at all that he will do so without pressing. Even if he did not you have no cause to worry. It so chances that the Count d'Adhemar, who is the French Ambassador here, is one of my beaux. I vow that at my request he will get the charge against you withdrawn from the French Courts.'

Roger looked up quickly. 'Could you really do that? Mr. Pitt will protect me, I am convinced, by staying the execution of the warrant here. But if you could get the charge withdrawn in France that would be a boon indeed. 'Twould mean that I could return there as a free man, if I wished.'

'And 'tis your wish to return to France, Roger?' she asked.

'Why, yes; I'd like to, sometime.'

'Not now, at once, to rejoin Athenais?'

He shook his head. 'Nay, she is married, and to my friend. That is over and done with.'

'Do you miss her very much?'

'Yes,, damnably.'

'You loved her very deeply, then?'

'I did indeed. She was wondrous beautiful.'

'Was she more beautiful than I am, Roger?'

He smiled. 'I would be a most ungracious guest were I to tell you so. But I will tell you something else. You have some quality that she lacked. Maybe 'tis your vitality, your good-fellowship, your warmth, your forthright mind, or maybe, 'tis nought but your infectious laughter. I do not know. Yet there it is. You have some gift, some power, some touch, that will attract men to you long after your beauty fades, and Athenais has become the pleasant but quite uninteresting mother of a grown-up family.'

'I thank thee, Roger,' she smiled back. 'It seems then that thou wert in love with her beauty rather than herself; yet that makes no difference to the longing one can feel in such a case. Many a poor girl, knowing nothing of your mind, is yet destined to suffer the most desperate cravings for kind looks from those damnably attractive blue eyes of thine. Dost know that thou hast grown monstrous hand­some, Roger?'

'I have no cause to quarrel with my looks,' he said slowly; 'so we must make a pretty pair. For if I'll not say that thou art the loveliest creature in the world, I'll say that thou hast no rival in the length and breadth of Britain.'

Georgina stood up. Although the room was still pleasantly warm she threw another log on the fire. Then she came round behind him and, laying a hand on his shoulder, checked his movement to rise from the table.

For a moment she remained there in silence. Then she began to stroke his cheek softly with the tips of her fingers, as she whispered: 'Yes, thou hast grown monstrous handsome, Roger darling; and 'tis pleasant to think that thou doest not find me ill to look upon. Dost know that we two are marooned here for the night? That is, unless thou hast the wish to undertake a plaguey long walk back to London. Thinkest thou that it lies within my power to console thee a little for the loss of Athenais?'

*****

At four o'clock on the following afternoon Roger was shown into Mr. Pitt's office. The Prime Minister greeted him kindly, offered him a glass of port and, when he was seated, said at once:

'Mr. Brook, I pray you concern yourself no further about this warrant for your extradition. I have had it quashed; and would have written to tell you so, had I not wished to express my thanks to you in person for all that you have done; and let you have, in confidence, the final outcome of the affair in which you were so deeply involved.'

'I am most grateful to you, Sir,' Roger murmured, but the Prime . Minister waved his thanks aside.

'Sir James Harris wrote Lord Carmarthen of the assistance you gave us on your trip abroad, so I know you to be informed of events in the United Provinces up to the end of last month. Since then, Amsterdam, the last stronghold of the rebels, surrendered on the 10th of October, and the French have entirely come to heel. Unable to face a war they have suffered the humiliation of being compelled to entirely reverse their policy. Last week the Court of Versailles exchanged declarations with us, agreeing for the future to sustain the Stadtholder in the full rights of his office.'

Roger nodded. 'Then there is no longer any fear of a European conflagration?'

'None, I am happy to say; and that is very largely due to Sir James Harris and yourself. You will, I know, be pleased to hear that His Majesty is rewarding Sir James for his long and arduous toil on the nation's behalf, by elevating him to the peerage under the title of Baron Malmesbury. As to yourself, your case presents certain diffi­ culties, since it is contrary to all practice to confer a public award for work of a secret nature. But if I can be of service to you in any way you have but to name it.'

Mr. Pitt paused for a moment, then added: 'I have no desire to pry into your private affairs, but if a gift of money would be of any assistance to you?'

'I thank you, Sir.' Roger smiled. 'But my father has recently made me an allowance of three hundred a year, and that is ample for my needs.'

The Prime Minister took a swig of port, and said: 'None the less, I shall feel aggrieved unless I can do something for you. Surely, now that you are returned to England, you intend to take up some career. With gifts such