e? You're out
of your head. You've lost your sense of proportion.... You must
_care_ for this damned skunk Dick Hardman."

"Care for him!" she cried, shamefaced and furious. "I hate him."

"Then if you marry him you'll be crooked. To yourself! To me!...
Why, in my eyes you'd be worse than that little hussy down at the
Yellow Mine."

"Pan!" she whispered. "How can you? How dare you?"

"Hard facts deserve hard names. You make me say such things. Why,
you'd drive me mad if I listened--if I believed you. Don't you dare
say again you'll marry Dick."

"I will--I must--"

"Lucy!" he thundered. It was no use to reason with this girl. She had
been trapped like a wild thing and could not see any way out. He shot
out a strong hand and clutched her shoulder and with one heave he drew
her to him, so her face was under his. It went pale. The telltale
eyes dilated in sudden fear. She beat at him with weak fluttering
hands.

"_Say you love me!_"

He shook her roughly, then held her tight. "I don't maul any other
man's woman," he went on, fiercely. "But if you love me--that's
different. You said it a little while ago. Was it true? Are you a
liar?"

"No--No--Pan," she whispered, in distress. "I--I do."

"Do what?"

"I--I love you," she said, the scarlet blood mounting to her pale face.
She was weakening--sinking toward him. Her eyes held a sort of dark
spell.

"How do you love me?" he queried relentlessly, with his heart mounting
high.

"Always I've loved you--since I was a baby."

"As a brother?"

"Yes."

"But we're man and woman now. This is my one chance for happiness. I
don't want you--I wouldn't have you unless you love me as I do you. Be
honest with me. Be square. Do you love me now as I do you?"

"God help me--yes," she replied, almost inaudibly, with eyes of remorse
and love and agony on his.

Pan could not withstand this. He crushed her to him, and lifted her
arms round his neck, and fell to kissing her with all the starved
hunger of his lonely loveless years on the ranges. She was not proof
against this. It lifted her out of her weakness, of her abasement to a
response that swept away all fears, doubts, troubles. For the moment,
at least, love conquered her.

Pan was wrenched out of the ecstasy of that moment by the pound of
hoofs and the crashing of brush. He could not disengage himself before
a horse and rider were upon them. Nevertheless Pan recognized the
intru