's coming ever become a common thing? Would she ever be able
to greet him without this tumult of emotion, ever be able to take his
hand without turning giddy on the sheer verge of bliss?

The servant announced, "Lady Newhaven."

The two women stood looking at each other. Rachel saw the marks of
suffering on the white face, and her own became as white. Her eyes fell
guiltily before Lady Newhaven's.

"Forgive me," she said.

"Forgive you?" said Lady Newhaven, in a hoarse voice. "It is no use
asking me for forgiveness."

"You are right," said Rachel, recovering herself, and meeting Lady
Newhaven's eyes fully. "But what is the use of coming here to abuse me?
You might have spared yourself and me this at least. It will only
exhaust you and--wound me."

"You must give him up," said Lady Newhaven, her hands fumbling under her
crape cloak. "I've come to tell you that you must let him go."

The fact that Hugh had drawn the short lighter, and had not taken the
consequences, did not affect Lady Newhaven's feelings towards him in the
least, but she was vaguely aware that somehow it would affect Rachel's,
and now it would be Rachel's turn to suffer.

Rachel paused a moment, and then said, slowly:

"He does not wish to be let go."

"He is mine."

"He was yours once," said Rachel, her face turning from white to gray.
That wound was long in healing. "But he is mine now."

"Rachel, you cannot be bad all through." Lady Newhaven was putting the
constraint upon herself which that tightly clutched paper, that poisoned
weapon in reserve, enabled her to assume. For Hugh's sake she would only
use it if other means failed. "You must know that you ought to look upon
him as a married man. Don't you see"--wildly--"that we _must_ marry, to
put right what was wrong? He owes it to me. People always do."

"Yes, they generally do," said Rachel; "but I don't see how it makes the
wrong right."

"I look upon Hugh as my husband," said Lady Newhaven.

"So do I."

"Rachel, he loves me. He is only marrying you for your money."

"I will risk that."

"I implore you on my knees to give him back to me."

And Lady Newhaven knelt down with bare, white outstretched hands.
(Tableau number one. New Series.)

Rachel shrank back involuntarily.

"Listen, Violet," she said, "and get up. I will not speak until you get
up." Lady Newhaven obeyed. "If I gave back Hugh to you a hundred times
it would not make him love you any more, or make him marry