"I will not hear it," said she, rising from her seat on the sofa with
her hands up to her forehead, but still coming nearer to him as she
moved.

"Does not your father say the same thing? I will advise nothing that
he does not advise. I would not say a word to you that he might not
hear. I do love you. I have always loved you. But do you think that I
would hurt you with my love?"

"No;--no;--no!"

"No, indeed;--but I would have you feel that those who loved you of
old are still anxious for your welfare. You said just now that you
had been neglected."

"I spoke of papa and Everett. For myself,--of course I have separated
myself from everybody."

"Never from me. You may be ten times his wife, but you cannot
separate yourself from me. Getting up in the morning and going to
bed at night I still tell myself that you are the one woman that I
love. Stay with us, and you shall be honoured,--as that man's wife of
course, but still as the dearest friend we have."

"I cannot stay," she said. "He has told me that I am to go, and I am
in his hands. When you have a wife, Arthur, you will wish her to do
your bidding. I hope she will do it for your sake, without the pain I
have in doing his. Good-bye, dear friend."

She put her hand out and he grasped it, and stood for a moment
looking at her. Then he seized her in his arms and kissed her brow
and her lips. "Oh, Emily, why were you not my wife? My darling, my
darling!"

She had hardly extricated herself when the door opened, and Lopez
stood in the room. "Mr. Fletcher," he said, very calmly, "what is the
meaning of this?"

"He has come to bid me farewell," said Emily. "When going on so long
a journey one likes to see one's old friends,--perhaps for the last
time." There was something of indifference to his anger in her tone,
and something also of scorn.

Lopez looked from one to the other, affecting an air of great
displeasure. "You know, sir," he said, "that you cannot be welcome
here."

"But he has been welcome," said his wife.

"And I look upon your coming as a base act. You are here with the
intention of creating discord between me and my wife."

"I am here to tell her that she has a friend to trust to if she ever
wants a friend," said Fletcher.

"And you think that such trust as that would be safer than trust in
her husband? I cannot turn you out of this house, sir, because it
does not belong to me, but I desire you to leave at once the room
which is occupied b