ut one hand in his
pocket, while with the other he made gestures suitable to his words.
"I've not come here to-day to rake up old sores. Time has gone over
them and healed them, and it's only your--NEBENBEI GESAGT, extremely
bad-conscience that makes you afraid of me. I'm not here for myself,
but--"

"Heinz!" The cry escaped her against her will. "For him? You've come
from him!"

He removed his cigarette and smiled. "Him? Which? Which of them do you
mean?"

"Which?" It was another uncontrollable exclamation. Then the expression
of almost savage joy that had lighted up her face, died out. "Oh, I
know you! ... know you and hate you, Heinz! I've never hated anyone as
much as you."

"And a woman of your temperament hates uncommonly well.--No, all jokes
aside,"--the word cut her; he saw this, and repeated it. "Joking apart,
I've come to you to-day, merely to ask if you don't think your present
little affair has gone far enough?"

She was as composed as he was. "What business is it of yours?"

"Oh, none. Except that the poor fool was once my friend."

She gave a daring laugh, full of suggestion.

But Krafft was not put out by it. "Don't do that again," he said. "It
sounds ugly; and you have nothing to do with ugliness, you know. No, I
repeat once more: this is not a personal matter."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

It was now she who smiled derisively. "Have you forgotten a certain
evening in this room, three years ago?"

But he did not flinch. "Upon my word, if you are bold enough to recall
that!--However, the reminder was unnecessary. Tell me now: aren't you
about done with Guest?"

For still a moment, she fought to keep up her show of dignity. Then she
broke down. "Heinz!--oh, I don't know! Oh, yes, yes, yes--a thousand
times, yes! Oh, I'm so tired--I can't tell you how tired I am--of the
very sight of him! I never wanted him, believe me, I didn't! He thrust
himself on me. It was not my doing."

"Oh, come now! Tell that to some one else."

"Yes, I know: you only think the worst of me. But though I was weak,
and yielded, anyone would have done the same. He gave me no peace.--But
I've been punished out of all proportion to the little bit of happiness
it brought me. There's no more miserable creature alive than I am."

"What interests me," continued Krafft, in a matter-of-fact tone, "is,
how you came to choose so far afield from your particular type. It's
well enough re