Chapter 21
AN INGENIOUS IDEA AND A WOMAN'S WIT Madame sat down. There was an interval of silence, during which the candles seemed to move strangely from side to side, and the dark face beyond was blurred and indistinct; all save the eyes, which, like the lidless orbs of a snake, held and fascinated her. Vaguely she comprehended the peril of a confused mind, and strove to draw upon that secret inward strength which discovers itself in crises. "How did you obtain that paper, Monsieur?" The calm of her voice, though he knew it to be forced, surprised him. "How did I obtain it? By strategy." "Ah! not by the sword, then?" leaning upon the table, her fingers alone betraying her agitation. "Not by the sword, and the mask, and the grey cloak?" As if the question afforded him infinite amusement, the vico
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