Jack,  you  must  keep  him  away  from  me.'

She  was  quite  agitated  ;  and  it  was  one
more  tribute  to  the  President's  powers  that
he  should  exert  so  strange  an  influence
over  such  a  nature,  I  was  burning  to  ask
her  more  about  herself  and  the  President,
but  I  could  not  while  she  was  distressed.
And  when  I  had  comforted  her,  she  reso-
lutely declined  to  return  to  the  subject.
'No,  go  away  now,'  she  said.  'Think
how  we  are  to  checkmate  our  two  P.resi-


1 86  A  MAN  OF  MARK

dents.  And,  Jack,  wliatever  happens,  I
got  you  back  the  money.  I've  done  you
some  good.  So  be  kind  to  me.  I'm  not
very  much  afraid  of  your  heart  breaking.
In  fact.  Jack,  we  are  neither  of  us  good
young  people.  No,  no,  be  quiet  and  go
away.  You  have  plenty  of  useful  things
to  occupy  your  time.'

At  last  I  accepted  my  dismissal,  and
walked  off,  my  happiness  considerably
damped  by  the  awkward  predicament  in
which  we  stood.  Clearly  McGregor  meant
business  ;  and  at  this  moment  McGregor
was  all  powerful.  If  he  kept  the  reins,  I
should  lose  my  love.  If  the  President
came  back,  a  worse  fate  still  threatened.
Supposing  it  were  possible  to  carry  off  the
Signorina,  which  I  doubted  very  much,
where  were  we  to  go  to  ?  And  would
she  come  ?

On    the    whole,    I    did    not    think    she
would  come.
CHAPTER    XII

BETWEEN     TWO     FIRES

IN  Spite  of  my  many  anxieties,  after
this  eventful  day  I  enjoyed  the  first
decent  night's  rest  I  had  had  for  a  week.
