his
time...."

She panted, wordless, her frenzied eyes pouring loathing on him.

"Ay ... look at me as if I were a toad ... a horned toad." He grinned
convulsively. "You've made me one ... you with your dirty little lover!"

Sophy got her breath. She was beside herself. She tore from his grasp,
leaving some of the light trimming of her blouse in his clenched hand.

"I wish he _were_ my lover!" she panted. "I wish _any_ one were my
lover. Oh, if I could only tell you that I had a lover! If I only could!
Brute!... Coward!..."

She faced him quivering with detestation.

The dementia of hatred in her wild eyes sobered Chesney for an instant.

"Cut that!" he said sullenly. "What you've got to do is to swear to me,
by all you hold sacred, that you'll never see that little skunk again.
Come--out with it!"

She laughed.

"Swear!" he cried furiously, "or I'll ... I'll...." He half-lifted his
balled fist.

She went on laughing.

"Oh, you brute...." she whispered between the spasms of laughter. "You
great, helpless brute!..."

He gazed at her villainously, out of sideward, blood-shot eyes.

"Swear!" he said. "Swear ... or it'll be worse for you!"

Her laughter renewed itself. Tears of laughter ran down her wild,
working face.

"I laugh"--she stammered--"I laugh--because you think it could be--worse
for me----"

He stood balked, humiliated before this fierce paroxysmal laughter. Then
cunning flashed into his look of thwarted beast.

"_I'll_ tame you!" he said; and, laughing himself now, turned and rushed
from the room. A throe of intuition gripped her. Bobby! He was going to
wreak his spite against her on her boy. She was after him like the wind.
But not fast enough ... not fast enough.... Just before her ... just out
of reach ... as in a nightmare ... he was leaping up the steps three at
a time. She had a horrible illusion of not moving--of standing
stock-still--of being fastened to the spot by heavy weights.

The nursery was on the third floor. She had put the child there because
it was the sunniest room in the house. It had two large windows, each
with a little balcony before it. Yes--it was the nursery he was making
for. She was just in time to see him plunge in. The light door, swung to
close of itself, as in most Italian houses, clapped to behind him
without latching. She fell against it. As she did so she heard Rosa
scream. The wild "dirling" sound of this scream checked her blood. At
the same instant