reatened to."

"Of course I did."

"You never came near me again."

"Of course I didn't."

"You let three years go by without a word."

"Of course--"

"If you say 'of course I did' again I'll fly straight up through this
roof. If you'd ever loved me you wouldn't have gone away and left
me."

"If I hadn't loved you I wouldn't have gone away."

"Oh, dear," Betty sighed. "I don't see how you can stand there and
think about yourself with Nancy out in the night--we don't know
where."

"Ourselves, Betty--did you ever really love me?"

"It doesn't make any difference whether I did or not," Betty said. "I
hate men."

"I think I'd better be going," Preston Eustace said, his face dark
with pain. He was rather a literal-minded young man, as Caroline's
brother would have been likely to be.

Betty buried her face in her hands.

"My head aches," she said, "and I was never in my life so mad and so
miserable. I can't understand why everything and everybody should
behave so--devilishly. You and every one else, I mean. I just simply
can't bear to have Nancy suffer so. My head aches and my heart aches
and my soul aches." She lifted her head defiantly.

"I think I had better be going," Preston Eustace repeated, looking
down at her sorrowfully.

"Oh! don't be going," Betty said. "What in the name of sense do you
want to be going for?" Then without warning or premeditation she
hurled herself at his breast. "Oh! Preston, if there is anything
comforting in this world," she said, "tell it to me, now."

Preston Eustace gathered her to his breast with infinite tenderness.

"I love you," he said with his lips on her brow. "Doesn't that comfort
you a little?"

"Yes," she admitted, "yes," winding her arms about his neck, "but you
have no idea what a little devil I am, Preston."

"I don't want to have any idea," he said, still holding her hungrily.

"No, I don't think you do," Betty said. "Oh! kiss me again, dear, and
tell me you won't ever let me go now."

When Nancy came in she found the lovers so oblivious to the sound of
her key in the latch or her footstep in the corridor that she decided
to slip into bed without disturbing them, and did so, without their
ever realizing that for the latter part of the evening at least, they
had a hostess within range of the sound of their voices--indeed, she
was obliged to stuff the pillow into her ears to prevent herself from
actually hearing what they were saying.