her lips would not utter it. She
turned very pale under the mental conflict. Physical weakness, instead
of overcoming her spirit, excited it to a fresh effort of resistance.

'Then,' she said, rising from the chair, 'you are not only unkind to
me, but dishonest.'

Harvey flushed.

'You are making yourself ill again. We had far better not talk at all.'

'I came up for no other purpose. We have to settle everything.'

'As far as I am concerned, everything is settled.'

'Then I have no choice,' said Alma, with subdued passion. 'We shall
live as we have done. I shall accept any engagement that offers, in
London or the country, and regard music as my chief concern. You wished
it, and so it shall be.'

Rolfe hesitated. Believing that her illness was the real cause of this
commotion, he felt it his duty to use all possible forbearance; yet he
knew too well the danger of once more yielding, and at such a crisis.
The contest had declared itself--it was will against will; to decide it
by the exertion of his sane strength against Alma's hysteria might be
best even for the moment. He had wrought himself to the point of
unwonted energy, a state of body and mind difficult to recover if now
he suffered defeat. Alma, turning from him, seemed about to leave the
room.

'One moment----'

She looked round, carelessly attentive.

'That wouldn't be living as we have done. It would be an intolerable
state of things after this.'

'It's your own decision.'

'Far from it. I wouldn't put up with it for a day.'

'Then there's only one thing left: I must go and live by myself.'

'I couldn't stand that either, and wouldn't try.'

'I am no slave! I shall live where and how I choose.'

'When you have thought about it more calmly, your choice will be the
same as mine.'

Trembling violently, she backed away from him. Harvey thought she would
fall; he tried to hold her by the arm, but Alma shook him off, and in
the same moment regained her strength. She faced him with a new
defiance, which enabled her at last to speak the words hitherto
unutterable.

'How do you think I can bear to see Hughie with _those_ children?'

Rolfe stood in amaze. The suddenness of this reversion to another stage
of their argument enhanced his natural difficulty in understanding her.
'What children?'

'Those two--whatever their name may be.'

'Wager's boy and girl?'

'You call them so.'

'Are you going crazy? I _call_ them so?--what do you mean?'