said I was to say.

"Father Dan is a saint and I love him," he said. "But what can he
know--what can any priest know of a situation like this? The law of man
has tied you to this brute, but the law of God has given you to me. Why
should a marriage service stand between us?"

"But it does," I said. "And we can't alter it. No, no, I dare not break
the law of the Church. I am a weak, wretched girl, but I cannot give up
my religion."

After that Martin did not speak for a moment. Then he said:

"You mean that, Mary?"

"Yes."

And then my heart accused me so terribly of the crime of resisting him
that I took his hand and held his fingers in a tight lock while I told
him--what I had never meant to tell--how long and how deeply I had loved
him, but nevertheless I dared not face the thought of living and dying
without the consolations of the Church.

"I dare not! I dare not!" I said. "I should be a broken-hearted woman if
I did, and you don't want that, do you?"

He listened in silence, though the irregular lines in his face showed
the disordered state of his soul, and when I had finished a wild look
came into his eyes and he said:

"I am disappointed in you, Mary. I thought you were brave and fearless,
and that when I showed you a way out of your miserable entanglement you
would take it in spite of everything."

His voice was growing thick again. I could scarcely bear to listen to
it.

"Do you suppose I wanted to take up the position I proposed to you? Not
I. No decent man ever does. But I love you so dearly that I was willing
to make that sacrifice and count it as nothing if only I could rescue
you from the misery of your abominable marriage."

Then he broke into a kind of fierce laughter, and said:

"It seems I wasn't wanted, though. You say in effect that my love is
sinful and criminal, and that it will imperil your soul. So I'm only
making mischief here and the sooner I get away the better for
everybody."

He threw off my hand, stepped to the door to the balcony, and looking
out into the darkness said, between choking laughter and sobs:

"Ellan, you are no place for me. I can't bear the sight of you any
longer. I used to think you were the dearest spot on earth, because you
were the home of her who would follow me to the ends of the earth if I
wanted her, but I was wrong. She loves me less than a wretched ceremony,
and would sacrifice my happiness to a miserable bit of parchment."

My heart was clamou