too far. Probably to no other man would he have yielded a single
inch.

The interview had ended in a fashion extremely distasteful to him, yet
he entered Olga's presence cheerily, with no sign of discontent.

"Hullo, my chicken! Not riding this morning? Haven't you slept?"

He sat down on the bed with Olga's arms very tightly round his neck, and
prepared himself to make the best of a very bad business.

The night before he had soothed her in the midst of her distress with
all a mother's tenderness, but by daylight he discarded the maternal
_role_ and resumed his masculine limitations.

"Come!" he said coaxingly to the fair head pillowed against his
shoulder. "You're going to be a sensible kiddie now? You're going to
forget all yesterday's nonsense? Max won't say any more if you don't.
You've just got to kiss and be friends."

Olga little dreamed that thus cheerily he made his last stand for a hope
which he knew to be forlorn.

She raised her head and looked at him with eyes that shone with the
brilliance which follows the shedding of many tears. "It's no good ever
thinking of that, Nick," she said, speaking quickly and nervously. "I've
been awake all night, thinking--thinking. But there's no way out. I
can't marry him. I can't even see him again. And, Nick,--I want you,
please, to give him back his ring."

"My dear, you're not in earnest!" said Nick.

"Yes, yes, I am, dear. And I can't argue about it. My head whirls so.
Oh, Nick, why didn't you tell me when I asked you to fill in the gap?
It's such a mistaken kindness--if you only knew it--to keep back the
truth--whatever it may be."

Nick groaned melancholy acquiescence. "But can't you forgive him,
sweetheart? Most women can forgive anything. And you never used to be
vindictive."

"I'm not vindictive," she made swift reply. "It isn't that I want to
punish him. Oh, don't you understand? He may have acted up to his
lights. And even if--if he had been anything but a doctor, I think it
would have been a little different. But he--he knew so exactly what he
was doing. And oh, Nick, I couldn't possibly marry a man who had
done--that. I should never forget it. It would prey on me so, just as
if--as if--I had been a party to it!" A violent shiver went through
her. She clung closer to him. The horror had frozen in her eyes to a
wide and glassy terror.

"Easy, easy!" said Nick gently. "We won't get hysterical. But isn't it a
pity to do anything in a hurry? You won'