her with the resentment which is so closely
akin to love; "but I think you understand my madness. Talking gets us
nowhere. A dozen times to-day your eyes answered mine. Either you
feel it too or you are a coquette!"

This brought a genuine anger to Colina's aid. Her weakness fled. "How
dare you!" she cried with blazing eyes.

"Coquette!" he repeated doggedly. "To dress yourself up like that to
drive me mad!"

Colina forgot the social amenities. "You fool!" she cried. "This is
my ordinary way of dressing at night! It is not for you!"

"It was for me!" he said sullenly. "You were happy when you saw its
effect on me! If it's only a game I can't play it with you. It means
too much to me!"

"Coquette!" still made a clangor in Colina's brain that deafened her to
everything else. "You are a savage!" she cried. "I'm sorry I asked
you here. You needn't wait for my father to come back. Go!"

"Not without a plain answer!" he said.

Colina tried to laugh; she was too angry. "My answer is no!" she cried
with outrageous scorn. "Now go!"

He stood studying her from under lowering brows. The sight of her like
that--head thrown back, eyes glittering, cheeks scarlet, and lips
curled--was like a lash upon his manhood. The answer was plain enough,
but an instinct from the great mother herself bade him disregard it.
Suddenly his eyes flamed up.

"You beauty!" he cried.

Before she could move he had seized her in her finery. Colina was no
weakling, but within those steely arms she was helpless. She strained
away her head. He could only reach her neck, under the ear. She
yielded shudderingly.

"I hate you! I hate you!" she murmured.

Their lips met.

Colina swayed ominously on his arm. She sank down on the sofa, still
straining away from him, but weakly. Suddenly she burst into
passionate weeping.

"What have you done to me!" she murmured.

At sight of the tears he collapsed. "Ah, don't!" he whispered
brokenly. "You break my heart! My darling love! What is the matter?"

"I am a fool--a fool!--a fool!" she sobbed tempestuously. "To have
given in to you! You will despise me!"

He slipped to the floor at her feet. He strove desperately to comfort
her. Tenderness lent eloquence to his clumsy, unaccustomed tongue.

"Ah, don't say that! It's like sticking a knife in me! My lovely
one! As if I could! You are everything to me! I have nothing in the
world but you! Forgive me for being