way?"

Slowly, deliberately, he advanced towards her. Virginia, cowed,
intimidated, stood still as if glued to the spot. Impatiently he
exclaimed:

"It wouldn't be a pretty thing for you to run away from your husband!
So you won't do it, will you?"

She made no answer, and he repeated more loudly:

"Will you?"

She looked up at him bravely. Her face was white, but determined.
Almost defiantly, she replied:

"No. I won't run away."

"That's the way to talk," he cried and going to the door leading to
the outside hall, he opened it and called out:

"Oku, open the wine and bring it in here--two glasses."

Returning, he sat down, waiting for the butler to bring the champagne.
His face was more flushed than ever. Instead of having a sobering
effect, his wife's resistance seemed only to inflame him more. But
just now his thoughts were not so much on her as on her
brother-in-law.

"Oku's--a good boy," he hiccoughed. "A very--good boy. But he isn't
half as funny as Jimmie. It's worth twice Jimmie's salary just to have
him around to make me laugh. How he does make me laugh! He doesn't
know that I'm laughing at him, but I know it. That's what makes it so
funny--"

He was interrupted by the appearance of Oku with wine and glasses,
which the butler placed on the table.

"Shall I serve?" asked the servant.

"Yes, fill 'em up," replied his master.

After he had drawn the cork and filled the glasses with the hissing,
golden beverage, Stafford stammered thickly:

"That's--all for you--to-night."

"I must not wait?" inquired Oku.

"No! I'll ring--when I want you in the morning."

"Yes! Excuse, please. Excuse!"

The butler bowed himself out of the room and the millionaire, turning
to his wife, pushed one of the glasses over to her. Then, raising his
own glass to his lips, he gave her a toast:

"Here's to you, sweetheart!"

He drained the contents and put the glass down. As he did so he
noticed that her glass was untouched.

"You didn't drink!" he exclaimed in a surprised, aggrieved tone.

"No," she replied firmly.

"Aren't you going to?"

"No."

"Oh, go on--just a glass," he said coaxingly.

"No," she said again coldly.

"Why not?" he demanded, slightly raising his voice.

"Because I don't wish to," she answered with dignity.

"Is that so?" he said mockingly. Filling another glass and drinking,
he added: "Suppose I wanted you to? Would you take it then?"

She shook her head.

"No, dear--"

"