not speak. Then slowly she nodded, as if pronouncing
her own doom.

"Alice," he cried, "look up here! You don't mean it. Say it isn't true."

She lifted her eyes bravely and faced him. "It _is_ true, Lloyd; I can
never be your wife."

"But why? Why?"

"I--I cannot tell you," she faltered.

He was about to speak impatiently, but before her evident distress he
checked the words and asked gently: "Is it something against me?"

"Oh, no!" she answered quickly.

"Sure? Isn't it something you've heard that I've done or--or not done?
Don't be afraid to hurt my feelings. I'll make a clean breast of it all, if
you say so. God knows I was a fool, but I've kept straight since I knew
you, I'll swear to that."

"I believe you, dear."

"You believe me, you call me 'dear,' you look at me out of those wonderful
eyes as if you cared for me."

"I do, I do," she murmured.

[Illustration: "'Alice,' he cried ... 'Say it isn't true.'"]

"You care for me, and yet you turn me down," he said bitterly. "It reminds
me of a verse I read," and drawing a small volume from his pocket he turned
the pages quickly. "Ah, here it is," and he marked some lines with a
pencil. "There!"

Alice took the volume and began to read in a low voice:

"Je n'aimais qu'elle au monde, et vivre un jour sans elle
Me semblait un destin plus affreux que la mort.
Je me souviens pourtant qu'en cette nuit cruelle
Pour briser mon lien je fis un long effort.
Je la nommai cent fois perfide et deloyale,
Je comptai tous les maux qu'elle m'avait causes."

She stopped suddenly, her eyes full of pain.

"You don't think that, you _can't_ think that of me?" she pleaded.

"I'd rather think you a coquette than--" Again he checked himself at the
sight of her trouble. He could not speak harshly to her.

"You dear child," he went on tenderly. "I'll never believe any ill of you,
never. I won't even ask your reasons; but I want some encouragement,
something to work for. I've got to have it. Just let me go on hoping; say
that in six months or--or even a year you will be my own
sweetheart--promise me that and I'll wait patiently. Can't you promise me
that?"

But again she shook her head, while her eyes filled slowly with tears.

And now his face darkened. "Then you will never be my wife? Never? No
matter what I do or how long I wait? Is that it?"

"That's it," she repeated with a little sob.

Kittredge rose, eying her sternly. "I understand," h