They had pretended to be strangers, but had evidently known
each other well, as several little signs crossing on the boat, and
later, had "given away." Since then, this man had followed Miss Grant to
Monte Carlo, and the Cayley-Binns had seen him talking to her _most
earnestly_ in a retired corner of the biggest room at the Casino. Not
(Mrs. Cayley-Binns hastened to interpolate) that she was in the habit of
taking her daughter to the Casino at Monte Carlo, or of going often
herself, but occasionally if with friends she did "just walk through the
Rooms, on a Concert day." Others, whose word _could not be doubted_, had
said that the Frenchman, an artist, had got into difficulties at the
Casino and had obtained money from Miss Grant, some of it in the form of
cheques, which he had boasted of and shown everywhere. Of course he must
be a detestable creature; but that fact did not excuse Miss Grant's
friendship with him; rather the contrary. And even if he were a
blackmailer, why, there must be _some_ foundation for the blackmail;
otherwise there would be no object in paying to have a secret
kept--whatever it might be. Then there ensued a good deal of discussion
as to the nature of the secret, provided it existed; and Mrs.
Cayley-Binns talked eloquently though discreetly with Miss Bland about
the latter's "interesting Roman relatives." She admitted to Prince
Vanno's cousin that she had not "exactly been at Rome, or at Monte Della
Robbia, though she had travelled in Italy"; but she "thought it must
have been in Cairo" that she had met the Prince.
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