. It was to that
I--yielded--once."

She looked intently down at him.

"I think at last you have become--my champion. . . . Not
my--destroyer. Answer me, Philip!"

He would not, or could not.

"I take you--for mine," she said. "Will you deny me?"

"No, Ailsa."

She said, steadily: "The other--the lesser happiness is to
be--forgotten. Answer."

"It--must be."

She bent lower, whispering: "Is there no wedlock of the spirit?"

"That is all there ever was to hope for."

"Then--_will_ you--Philip?"

"Yes. Will _you_, Ailsa?"

"I--will."

He rose; her fingers slipped from his hair to his hands, and they
stood, confronted.

She said in a dull voice: "I am engaged to--be--married to Captain
Hallam."

"I know it."

She spoke again, very white.

"Can you tell me why you will not marry me?"

"No, I cannot tell you."

"I--would love you none the less. Don't you believe me?"

"Yes, I do now. But I--cannot ask that of you."

"Yet--you would have--taken me without--marriage."

He said, quietly:

"Marriage--or love to the full, without it--God knows how right or
wrong that may be. The world outlaws those who love without
it--drives them out, excommunicates, damns. . . . It may be God
does, too; but--_I--don't--believe it_, Ailsa."

She said, whiter still: "Then I must not think of--what cannot be?"

"No," he said dully, "it cannot be."

She laid her hands against his lips in silence.

"Good night. . . . You won't leave me--too much--alone?"

"May I write to you, dear?"

"Please. And come when--when you can."

He laughed in the utter hopelessness of it all.

"Dear, I cannot come to you unless--_he_ comes."

At that the colour came back into her face.

Suddenly she stooped, touched his hands swiftly with her lips--the
very ghost of contact--turned, and was gone.

Hallam's voice was hearty and amiable; also he welcomed her with a
smile; but there seemed to be something hard in his eyes as he said:

"I began to be afraid that you'd gone to sleep, Ailsa. What the
deuce has kept you? A sick man?"

"Y-es; he is--better--I think."

"That's good. I've only a minute or two left, and I wanted to
speak--if you'll let me--about----"

"Can't you come again next week?" she asked.

"Well--of course, I'll do my best. I wanted to speak----"

"Don't say everything now," she protested, forcing a smile,
"otherwise what excuse will you have for coming again?"

"Well--I wished to--