l as she surrendered herself wholly to
the rhythm of the waltz, saw nothing. They were blank as unlighted
charcoal. She came opposite Donnegan, her back was toward him; she swung
in the arms of Landis, and then, past the shoulder of her partner, she
flashed a glance at Donnegan. The spark had fallen on the charcoal, and
her eyes were aflame. Aflame to Donnegan; the next instant the veil had
dropped across her face once more.

She was carried on, leaving Donnegan tingling.

A wise man upon whom that look had fallen might have seen, not Nelly
Lebrun in the cheap dance hall, but Helen of Sparta and all Troy's dead.
But Donnegan was clever, not wise. And he saw only Nelly Lebrun and the
broad shoulders of Jack Landis.

Let the critic deal gently with Donnegan. He loved Lou Macon with all
his heart and his soul, and yet because another beautiful girl had
looked at him, there he sat at his table with his jaw set and the devil
in his eye. And while she and Landis were whirling through the next
circumference of the room, Donnegan was seeing all sides of the problem.
If he tagged Landis it would be casting the glove in the face of the big
man--and in the face of old Lebrun--and in the face of that mysterious
and evil power, Lord Nick himself. And consider, that besides these he
had already insulted all of The Corner.

Why not let things go on as they were? Suppose he were to allow Landis
to plunge deeper into his infatuation? Suppose he were to bring Lou
Macon to this place and let her see Landis sitting with Nelly, making
love to her with every tone in his voice, every light in his eye? Would
not that cure Lou? And would not that open the door to Donnegan?

And remember, in considering how Donnegan was tempted, that he was not a
conscientious man. He was in fact what he seemed to be--a wanderer, a
careless vagrant, living by his wits. For all this, he had been touched
by the divine fire--a love that is greater than self. And the more
deeply he hated Landis, the more profoundly he determined that he should
be discarded by Nelly and forced back to Lou Macon. In the meantime,
Nelly and Jack were coming again. They were close; they were passing;
and this time her eye had no spark for Donnegan.

Yet he rose from his table, reached the floor with a few steps, and
touched Landis lightly on the shoulder. The challenge was passed. Landis
stopped abruptly and turned his head; his face showed merely dull
astonishment. The current of