rt--we've got to."

"Oh, this is absurd," he cried. "We're human beings, not figures to hang
a theory on--Now just as we realize what we are to one another----"

"Yes, because of that," she broke in swiftly, urgently. "You know that I
love you--I know that you love me. We've got that knowledge that nothing
can take away from us--and we've got the love--nothing can touch it. But
my duty is with Roddy."

"You knew that," he said, "when you came here to-day."

Her face flamed--"That's not fair of you, Francis."

"No, I beg your pardon. It isn't----" He suddenly came to her, caught
her and kissed her, holding her with his arm close to him, murmuring in
her ear. At first she had struggled, then she lay absolutely still
against him, making no response.

He felt her passive against his beating heart. He released her and
watched her as she went across to the window and looked out into the
darkening city.

"I don't care," he said roughly, "I love you. There's no talk about it
or anything else. You belong to _me_."

"I belong to Roddy," she answered quietly. "It's all quite clear. My
duty is to him until ... unless, life with him becomes impossible. I've
got absolutely to do my best and while I'm doing that you've got to help
me."

"What do you mean?" he said, his eyes upon her.

"Help me by our not meeting, by our not writing, by our doing
nothing--nothing----"

"No--No," he answered her, his eyes set upon her.

"You don't get me any other way. Francis, don't you see that we're not
the sort of people, either of us, to put up with the deceits, the
trickeries, the lies that the other thing means? Some people might--lots
of people do, I suppose--but we're not built that way. We're
idealists--We aren't made to stand quietly and see all the quality of
the thing vanish before our eyes--just to take the husk when we've known
what the kernel was like.

"Besides, it isn't as though I hated Roddy. If I did I'd go off with you
now, in a minute if you wanted me, although even then it would be a
hopeless thing for _us_ to do. But I'm very fond of Roddy. I'm not in
love with him--I never have been--I told him from the first--But I'm
going to do my best by him."

"Why did you come here?"

"I came here because I was driven towards you. I wanted to hear you say
that you loved me--I wanted to tell you that I loved you. We've both of
us said it. We know it now--and we've got to keep it, the most precious
thing in the world.