e
glass, smacking his lips. "Tell your brother I commend his taste--in
cocktails and"--puffing his cigarette--"tobacco. Poison for poison,
let me offer you one of _my_ cigarettes. They're milder than these."
He puts his hand to his breast pocket.

_Miss Ramsey_, with nervous shrinking: "No--"

_Ashley_: "It's just as well. I find that I hadn't brought mine with
me." After a moment: "You are so unconventional, so fearless, that I
should like your notion of the problem in a book I've just been
reading. Why should the mere fact that a man is married to one woman
prevent his being in love with another, or half a dozen others; or
_vice versa_?"

_Miss Ramsey_: "Mr. Ashley, do you wish to insult me?"

_Ashley_: "Dear me, no! But put the case a little differently. Suppose
a couple are merely engaged. Does that fact imply that neither has a
right to a change of mind, or to be fancy free to make another
choice?"

_Miss Ramsey_, indignantly: "Yes, it does. They are as sacredly bound
to each other as if they were married, and if they are false to each
other the girl is a wretch, and the man is a villain! And if you think
anything I have said can excuse you for breaking your engagement, or
that I don't consider you the wickedest person in the world, and the
most barefaced hypocrite, and--and--I don't know what--you are very
much mistaken."

_Ashley_: "What in the world are you talking about?"

_Miss Ramsey_: "I am talking about you and your shameless perfidy."

_Ashley_: "My shameless perf-- I don't understand! I came here
to tell you that I love you--"

_Miss Ramsey_: "How dare you! To speak to me of that, when-- Or
perhaps you _have_ broken with her, and think you are free to hoodwink
some other poor creature. But you will find that you have chosen the
wrong person. And it's no excuse for you her being a little--a
little--not so bright as some girls, and not so good-looking. Oh, it's
enough to make any girl loathe her own looks! You mustn't suppose you
can come here red-handed--yes, it's the same as a murder, and any true
girl would say so--and tell me you care for me. No, Walter Ashley, I
haven't fallen so low as that, though I _have_ the disgrace of your
acquaintance. And I hope--I hope--if you don't like my smoking, and
offering you cocktails, and talking the way I have, it will be a
lesson to you. And yes!--I _will_ say it! If it will add to your
misery to know that I did respect you very much, and thought
everyt