. Cowperwood saw them and came over,
hoping in some way to take advantage of them. He was truly sorry
now--anxious to make her feel tender toward him once more.

"Aileen," he pleaded, "please don't be so bitter. You shouldn't be so
hard on me. I'm not so bad. Aren't you going to be reasonable?" He
put out a smoothing hand, but she jumped away.

"Don't you touch me, you brute!" she exclaimed, angrily. "Don't you
lay a hand on me. I don't want you to come near me. I'll not live
with you. I'll not stay in the same house with you and your
mistresses. Go and live with your dear, darling Rita on the North Side
if you want to. I don't care. I suppose you've been in the next room
comforting her--the beast! I wish I had killed her--Oh, God!" She tore
at her throat in a violent rage, trying to adjust a button.

Cowperwood was literally astonished. Never had he seen such an
outburst as this. He had not believed Aileen to be capable of it. He
could not help admiring her. Nevertheless he resented the brutality of
her assault on Rita and on his own promiscuous tendency, and this
feeling vented itself in one last unfortunate remark.

"I wouldn't be so hard on mistresses if I were you, Aileen," he
ventured, pleadingly. "I should have thought your own experience would
have--"

He paused, for he saw on the instant that he was making a grave
mistake. This reference to her past as a mistress was crucial. On the
instant she straightened up, and her eyes filled with a great pain.
"So that's the way you talk to me, is it?" she asked. "I knew it! I
knew it! I knew it would come!"

She turned to a tall chest of drawers as high as her breasts, laden
with silverware, jewel-boxes, brushes and combs, and, putting her arms
down, she laid her head upon them and began to cry. This was the last
straw. He was throwing up her lawless girlhood love to her as an
offense.

"Oh!" she sobbed, and shook in a hopeless, wretched paroxysm.
Cowperwood came over quickly. He was distressed, pained. "I didn't
mean that, Aileen," he explained. "I didn't mean it in that way--not
at all. You rather drew that out of me; but I didn't mean it as a
reproach. You were my mistress, but good Lord, I never loved you any
the less for that--rather more. You know I did. I want you to believe
that; it's true. These other matters haven't been so important to
me--they really haven't--"

He looked at her helplessly as she moved away to avoid him; he