hy probably
... er ... was probably in the next room ... yesterday. Well, granting
that, do you think things are going calmly on the way we like 'em?"

"Of course you'll have to have a plain talk with her," said Belinda, her
voice taking a practical note.

Morris gave her a little shake as she lay within his arm. She laughed
softly.

"My God! but you're a cool proposition," he said, half laughing, too,
half exasperated again.

"I'm not cool to _you_," wooed Belinda.

"No, you're not," he answered shortly. "And that's just the devil of it
for both of us!"

"Do you _want_ me to be cool?" teased Belinda.

"No, I don't. And that's the devil again."

"Well, what _do_ you want?"

He might have replied truthfully that what he wanted was for Lawlessness
and Law to kiss each other and abide in a beautiful serenity together.
But he had not formulated his own state of mind clearly enough to put it
thus. The worst part of his distress was that it was so "muddled." The
Son of Sirach could have explained it sternly to him. "Woe to the sinner
that goeth two ways," would have been his comment.

"See here, Linda," said Loring again. "You talk confoundedly chipper
about my 'having a plain talk' with Sophy. Have you thought what this
plain talk may lead to?"

"Divorce," said Belinda calmly.

Loring sprang up so violently that she was tilted from his side. He
clutched her just in time to keep her from rolling on to the pebbles.

"Look here," he said, very white. "I've been rather a cad to make love
to you as I've done ... but I'm not an out and out scoundrel."

Belinda faced him, as white as he, brow and hands clenched.

"You _will_ be," she said through her locked teeth, "if you don't
divorce and marry me."

"My God...." breathed Loring, actually bewildered by her utter disregard
of all principle. "Where'd you come from?... _What_ are you?..." He went
close and caught her fiercely by both arms. "_What_ are you, you little,
lawless wildfire?" he repeated.

"I'm your heart's desire ... your heart's desire...." she crooned, half
mocking, half cajoling.

He dropped her arms and turned away. The touch of her had set him in a
fever again. Nothing would come clearly to him. He raged against her in
his heart, but the tide of his blood set resistlessly towards her. He
stood with his back to her, biting his knuckles, glowering out at the
bright sea.

Belinda waited, with her little secret smile. She loved the aching of
her