ossible for her to hurry, she drew the sheet
from the crumpled envelope and smoothed it out. As she did so, she half
turned away. But not so far that he could not see the dark, disfiguring
blood stain her neck and blotch her cheek--even her ear grew crimson.
She read deliberately, lingering over each word, but the instant she
had finished, she crushed the paper to a ball, and threw it to the
other end of the room.

"The scoundrel!" she cried. "Oh, the scoundrel!" Clenching her two
hands, she pressed them to her face.

Maurice did not say a word; he hardly dared to draw breath, for fear
some sign of her guilt might escape him. Leaning against the table, he
marked each tell-tale quiver of lip or eyelid.

"The blackguard!" she cried again, shaken by rage. "If I had him here,
I'd strangle him with my own hands!"

He gloated over her anger. "Yes," he said in a low voice. "I, too ...
could kill him."

There was a pause, in which each followed out a possible means of
revenge.

"Now you see," he said. "When I got home--when I found that--I thought
I should go mad."

Reminded thus, of his share in the matter, Louise turned her head, and
considered him. Her face was tense.

"Forgive me!" said Maurice, and held out his hands to her.

She gave him another look of the same kind. "I forgive YOU. What for?"

"Because ... since I got it, I've been thinking vile things."

"Oh, that!" She moved away, and gave a curt laugh, which met him like a
stab. But she had no consideration for him: she had only room in her
mind for Krafft's treachery. "I could kill him," she said again.
"Don't.... Leave me alone!"--this to Maurice, who was trying to take
her hand. "Don't touch me!"

"Not touch you!--why not?" In an instant his softness passed over into
suspicion: it was like a dry pile that had waited for the match. "I not
touch you?" he repeated. "Do you want to make me believe that what he
says there is true?"

"Believe what you like."

"But that's just what I won't do. Turn here! Look me in the face! Now
tell me it's a lie."

She struggled to free her hands. "You hurt me, Maurice! Let me go!"

"Be careful!--or I shall hurt you more than this. Now answer me!"

"You!--with your ridiculous heroics! Be careful yourself!"

His grip of her grew tighter.

"For your precious peace of mind then--that you may not be kept in
suspense: what Heinz says there is--true!"

He did not at once grasp what she meant. He stood staring stupid