o not ask me to humiliate myself further. Please go away.
Ah, cannot you see that it would be impossible for me to act now as I
might have acted before? Cannot you see that I am not a woman who would
be ready to steal happiness for myself from my dearest friend?"

"I think I am beginning to see what sort of woman you are--what sort of
a being a woman may be. You love me, Phyllis, and yet you will send me
away from you lest you should do Ella a wrong?"

"I implore of you to go away from me, because if Ella had been free a
month ago as she is to-day, she would have married you."

"But she fancied that she loved me a month ago. She knows that she does
not love me now. You love me--you, Phyllis, my love, my beloved;
you dare not say that when you led me to love you, you were not led
unthinkingly to love me yourself. Will you deny that, my darling?"

He had strode passionately up to her, and before she could resist he
had put his arms about her and was kissing her on the face. For a moment
only she resisted, then she submitted to his kisses.

"You are mine--mine--mine!" he whispered, and she knew that she was. She
now knew how to account for the brilliant successes of the man in places
where every other civilized man had perished. He was a master of men.
"You love me, darling, and I love you. What shall separate us?"

With a little cry she freed herself.

"You have said the truth!" she cried; "the bitter truth. I love you! I
love you! I love you! You are my love, my darling, my king forever. But
I tell you to go from me. I tell you that I shall never steal from any
sister what is hers by right. I would have sacrificed myself--I did
not love you then--to keep you from her; I am now ready to sacrifice
myself--now that I love you--to give you to her. Ah, my love, my own
dear love, you know me, and you know that I should hate myself--that I
should hate you, too, if I were to marry you, now that she is free. Go,
my beloved--go!"

He looked at her face made beautiful with tears. "Let me plead with you,
Phyllis. Let me say--"

"Oh, go! go! go!"

He put out his hand to her.

"I am going!" he said. "I am leaving England, but from day to day I
shall let you know where I am, so that you can send to me when you want
me to return to you. Write on a paper, 'Come to me,' and I will come,
though years should pass before I read those words. I deserve to suffer,
as I know I shall suffer."

He held out his hand. She took it. Her