she's had one experience."

"Eh? You say she knows--Who is she, Dave? Don't tell me you
mean--Alaire?"

Dave nodded.

"Damnation!" Ellsworth leaped to his feet and, striding around the
desk, seized his caller roughly by the shoulder. "What are you telling
me? Good God, Alaire! A married woman! So you--cut under Ed Austin,
eh?" Momentarily Ellsworth lost control of himself; his eyes blazed and
his fingers tightened painfully. "What damnable trick have you played
on that girl? Tell me before I choke you."

For once Dave Law's passion failed to ignite at the heat of another's
anger; he only sat limp and helpless in the judge's grasp. Finally he
muttered: "I played square enough. It's one of those things that just
happen. We couldn't help ourselves. She'll come to you for her divorce."

The lawyer uttered a shocking oath. "Then it's no mere romantic
infatuation on her part?"

"Oh no!"

Ellsworth loosed his grip. He turned away and began to pace the office
floor, shaking his head. "This is--unfortunate. Alaire, of all
people--as if she didn't have enough to bear." He turned fiercely upon
the cowering figure in the chair, saying: "I'll tell her the whole
truth myself, before she goes any further."

"No! Oh, please! Let me, in my own way." Dave writhed and sank his face
in his hands once more. After a while he said, "I'm waiting for you to
tell me it's all a nightmare."

"Humph!" The judge continued his restless pacing. "I was sorry for you
when you came in here, and it took all my strength to tell you; but now
you don't matter at all. I was prepared to have you go ahead against my
advice, but--I'll see you damned first."

"You have damned me."

When Ellsworth saw the haggard face turned to his he ceased his walk
abruptly. "I'm all broken up, Dave," he confessed in a gentler tone
than he had used heretofore. "But you'll thank me some day."

Law was no longer the big, strong, confident fellow who had entered the
office such a short time before. He had collapsed; he seemed to have
shrunk; he was pitifully appealing. Although there were many things he
would have said, many questions upon his tongue, he could not voice
them now, and it was with extreme difficulty that he managed to follow
the judge's words at all.

After a time he rose and shook Ellsworth's hand limply, mechanically;
then he shambled out of the office. Like a sick man, he stumbled down
the stairs and into the street. When he entered his hotel the