ered it
to me. Did you want, did you pray, that it might be mine again by no
gift of yours but by right? Did you pray that the thing should happen
which has happened now? That you should be turned out and I should be
put in? Back in my own place, my proper place? That I should be Tristram
of Blent again? Did you pray for that?"

He paused, but she said nothing. Her face was troubled now and her eyes
could not leave his.

"You were ready to play Lady Bountiful to me, to give of your charity,
to make yourself feel very noble. That was it. And now----" His voice
became more vehement. "And now, look into your heart, look close! Look,
look! What's in your heart now? You say I've cheated you. It's true. Is
that why you're angry, is that why you won't live with me? No, by
heaven, not that, or anything of the kind! Will you have the truth?"

Again she made no answer. She waited for his words.

"Are you rejoiced that mine's my own again, that I'm back in my place,
that I'm Tristram of Blent, that it belongs to me? That I take it by my
own incontestable right and not of your hand, by your bounty and your
charity? Are you so rejoiced at that that you can forgive me anything,
forgive the man you love anything? Yes, you do love me--You're welcome
to that, if you think it makes it any better. It seems to me to make it
worse. No, you can't forgive me anything, you can't forgive the man you
love! Why not? I'll tell you why! Shall I? Shall I go on?"

She bowed her head and clasped her hands together.

"You hate my having come to my own again. You hate its being mine by
right and not by your bounty. You hate being Lady Tristram only because
I've chosen to make you so. And because you hate that, you won't
forgive me, and you say you won't live with me. Yes, you're angry
because I've come to my own again. You hate it. Look in your heart, I
say, and tell me that what I say isn't true, if you can."

She made no answer still. He came a step closer and smote his fist on
the palm of his other hand, as he ended:

"You called me a liar. I was a liar. But, by God, you're a curmudgeon,
Cecily!"

For a moment longer she looked at him, as he stood there in his scornful
anger. Then with a low moan she hid her face in her hands. The next
minute he turned on his heel, left her where she sat, and strode off
into the house.

Mina and Neeld--now at their sweets--heard his step and exchanged
excited glances. He walked up to the head of the table