ot or cold.

'It had nothing in the world to do with it. He never said a word about
it till he threatened to kill me--the great brute!' This was learning
something indeed! She went on in the same voice:

'And may I ask you what was the cause of such sanguinary intention?'

'Because he knew that I was going to marry you!' As he spoke he felt
that he had betrayed himself; he went on hastily, hoping that it might
escape notice:

'Because he knew that I loved you. Oh! Stephen, don't you know it now!
Can't you see that I love you; and that I want you for my wife!'

'But did he threaten to kill you out of mere jealousy? Do you still go
in fear of your life? Will it be necessary to arrest him?' Leonard was
chagrined at her ignoring of his love-suit, and in his self-engrossment
answered sulkily:

'I'm not afraid of him! And, besides, I believe he has bolted. I called
at his house yesterday, and his servant said they hadn't heard a word
from him.' Stephen's heart sank lower and lower. This was what she had
dreaded. She said in as steady a voice as she could muster:

'Bolted! Has he gone altogether?'

'Oh, he'll come back all right, in time. He's not going to give up the
jolly good living he has here!'

'But why has he bolted? When he threatened to kill you did he give any
reason?' There was too much talk about Harold. It made him angry; so he
answered in an offhand way:

'Oh, I don't know. And, moreover, I don't care!'

'And now,' said Stephen, having ascertained what she wanted to know,
'what is it that you want to speak to me about?'

Her words fell on Leonard like a cold douche. Here had he been talking
about his love for her, and yet she ignored the whole thing, and asked
him what he wanted to talk about.

'What a queer girl you are. You don't seem to attend to what a fellow is
saying. Here have I been telling you that I love you, and asking you to
marry me; and yet you don't seem to have even heard me!' She answered at
once, quite sweetly, and with a smile of superiority which maddened him:

'But that subject is barred!'

'How do you mean? Barred!'

'Yes. I told you yesterday!'

'But, Stephen,' he cried out quickly, all the alarm in him and all the
earnestness of which he was capable uniting to his strengthening, 'can't
you understand that I love you, with all my heart? You are so beautiful;
so beautiful!' He felt now in reality what he was saying.

The torrent of his words l