change in her. She gave her whole weight into his arms, and
lay palpitating against his heart.

By the awful glare of the lightning he found her face uplifted to his.
She was laughing, too, but in her eyes was such a passion of love as he
had never looked upon before. In that moment he knew that she was
his--wholly, completely, irrevocably his. And, stooping, he kissed the
upturned lips with the fierce exultation of the conqueror.

Her arms slipped round his neck. She abandoned herself wholly to him.
She gave him worship for worship, passion for passion.

Later, he awoke to the fact that she was drenched from head to foot. He
drew her into his room and shut the window against the driving blast.
She clung to him still.

"Isn't it dreadful?" she said, shuddering. "It's just as if Something
Big is trying to get between us."

He closed the shutter also, and groped for matches. She accompanied him
on his search, for she would not lose touch with him for a moment.

The lamp flared on her white, childish face, showing him wild joy and
horror strangely mingled. Her great eyes laughed up at him.

"Billikins, darling! You aren't very decent, are you? I'm not decent
either, Billikins. I'd like to take off all my clothes and dance on my
head."

He laughed grimly. "You will certainly have to undress--the sooner the
better."

She spread out her hands. "But I've nothing to wear, Billikins, nothing
but what I've got on. I didn't know it was going to rain so. You'll have
to lend me a suit of pyjamas, dear, while I get my things dried. You
see"--she halted a little--"I came away in rather a hurry. I--was
bored."

Merryon, oddly sobered by her utter dependence upon him, turned aside
and foraged for brandy. She came close to him while he poured it out.

"It isn't for me, is it? I couldn't drink it, darling. I shouldn't know
what was happening for the next twenty-four hours if I did."

"It doesn't matter whether you do or not," he said. "I shall be here to
look after you."

She laughed at that, a little quivering laugh of sheer content. Her
cheek was against his shoulder. "Live for ever, O king!" she said, and
softly kissed it.

Then she caught sight of something on the arm below. "Oh, darling, did I
do that?" she cried, in distress.

He put the arm about her. "It doesn't matter. I don't feel it," he
said. "I've got you."

She lifted her lips to his again. "Billikins, darling, I didn't know it
was you--at first, not ti