She shook her head without speaking. She was shivering all over.

"Very well, then," he said. "Come into the other room--you seem cold."

She went with him submissively. The fire had sunk low, and he replenished
it. The hunting crop that he had brought from her father's house lay on
the table with Jerry's banjo. He picked it up and put it away in a
corner.

"Sit down," he said.

She sank upon the sofa, hiding her face. He took up his stand on the rug,
facing her.

"Now," he said quietly, "do you remember my telling you that you had
married a savage? I see you do. And you are afraid of me in consequence.
I am a savage. I admit it. I hurt you that night. I meant to hurt you. I
meant you to see that I was in earnest. I meant you to realize that you
were my wife. I meant--I still mean--to master you. But I did not mean to
terrify you as you were terrified, as you are terrified now. I made a
mistake, and for that mistake I desire to apologize."

He stooped and drew one of her hands away from her face.

"You defied me," he said. "Do you remember? And I am not accustomed to
defiance. Nor will I bear it from anyone--my wife least of all. I am not
threatening you; I am simply showing you what you must learn to expect
from me, from the savage you have married. It is not my intention to
frighten you. I am no longer angry with either you or the young fool whom
you call your friend. By the way, I have not done him any violence. He
has merely gone to find a lodging for himself and for the motor in the
village. Yes, I turned him out of his own house, but I might have done
worse. I meant to do much worse."

"Yes?" murmured Nan. "Why--why didn't you?"

"Because," he answered grimly, "I found that I had only fools to deal
with."

He paused a moment.

"Well, now for your punishment," he said. "As you remarked just now,
I have you absolutely at my mercy. How much mercy do you expect--or
deserve? Answer me--as my wife."

But she could not answer him. She only bowed her head speechlessly
against the strong hand that still held hers.

She could feel his fingers tightening to a grip. And she knew herself
beaten, powerless.

"Listen to me, Anne!" he said suddenly; and in his voice was something
that she had only heard once before, and that but vaguely. "I am going to
give you a fair chance, in spite of your behaviour to me. I am willing to
believe--I do believe--that, to a certain extent, I drove you to this
course. I also