He found himself facing a charming woman, her bright blue eyes looking into his with a smile that instantly attracted him. She was well-dressed, with a different air from the women he knew. And she was undeniably pretty--of that Dan was convinced, and the conviction overwhelmed him with shyness. He stood awkward and ill-at-ease; for the moment forgetting his errand. "I suppose," he stammered, "--I beg your pardon--but I suppose you are Mrs. Heath's new boarder,--Mrs. Fountain?"
"Yes," replied the strange lady with an amused smile, "that is what I imagine that I am called. My name is Madame de La Fontaine. And you--?"
"I?--Oh, yes--of course--I am Dan Frost from the Inn over yonder. I came to see Mrs. Meath to ask if my sister Nancy is here."
"Alas!" replied Madame de La Fontaine, "poor Mrs. Meath she this morning is quite unwell. She is in her room, so that I am afraid you cannot see her. But, I may tell you, there is no one else here, just myself and my servants."
"You have not seen or heard anything then of my sister, Nancy Frost?" repeated Dan.
"Nancy Frost?--your sister?--No, monsieur. I am arrived only last night and have seen no one."
"I had hoped my sister would be here. I am sorry about Mrs. Meath; perhaps I can be of some service. If you should need me at any time, I can almost always be found at the Inn at the Red Oak."
"The Inn at the Red Oak?" repeated Madame de La Fontaine, "and is that near by?"
"It is about a mile and a half by the road," Frost replied, "but you can see it plainly from the doorstep here."
The foreign lady stepped out in the crisp February air. "Can you point it out to me? I may need your assistance some time."
"You see the woods and the oak at the edge of them," said Dan, pointing across the Dunes. "That great tree is the Red Oak, the rambling old building beneath it is the Inn."
"Ah! one can see quite plainly from one house to the other, is it not so?"
"Thank you, monsieur. I trust there will be no need for assistance. But it makes one glad to know where are neighbours, especially--" she added, "while poor Mrs. Meath is ill."
As she spoke she turned to the door with the air of dismissing him, but on second thoughts she faced him again. "I wonder, Mr. Frost, will you do me a favour?"