think you will be happy with him?"

"I could never be happy if I didn't," she answered rather incoherently.

Max frowned. "Look here!" he said. "It's no good expecting me to
understand if you won't even answer my questions."

She quivered in his hold. "You ask such--impossible things," she said.

"They are only impossible," Max said relentlessly, "because you are
afraid to tell me the truth. You are afraid to tell me that you are
sacrificing yourself. You are afraid to be honest--even with yourself."

"I am not!" she protested fierily. "Max, you have no right----"

"I have a right." He broke in upon her sternly. "I have the first and
foremost right. Remember, you were mine before you were his. You gave
yourself to me because you loved me. You only threw me over because of a
fancied unworthiness. Now I am cleared of that, do you think you owe me
nothing more than an apology?"

"Oh, but, Max," she pleaded, "think of Noel! Think of Noel!"

"Well?" said Max, "then think of him! Don't you think he can make a
better bargain for himself than marriage with a woman who doesn't love
him best? Why, nearly every woman he meets falls in love with him, and
could offer him more than you do. You women who are so keen on
sacrificing yourselves never look at the man's point of view, and so the
only thing he really wants, you make it impossible for him to get."

"Max! Max!" she cried in distress.

"Well, isn't it so?" said Max. "Just admit that, and p'raps I won't
bully you any more. You know he doesn't come first with you--and never
would."

"But I could make him happy," she said.

"Oh, could you? And suppose his happiness depended upon yours? Suppose
he were man enough to want you to be happy too? Could you do that for
him?"

She hesitated.

He pressed on without mercy. "Could you drive me utterly out of your
thoughts, your dreams? Could you stifle every regret, every secret
longing? Could you empty your heart of me and put him in my place? Tell
me! Could you?"

But she could not tell him. She only turned her face from him and wept.

He set her free then, just as he had set her free on that day long ago
when her will had first bruised itself against the iron of his. He went
away from her, went to the door as if he would leave her; then stood
still, and after a space came back.

She trembled at his coming. She had a feeling that he had armed himself
with another, stronger weapon to overcome her resistance.

He stop