ith him when
it can be arranged! Is she talking of living with a man without a
wedding ceremony being performed? With a man already married! Is the
child stark mad? Something has turned her brain. Surely something has.
This is not my Suzanne--my dear, lovely, entrancing Suzanne."

To Suzanne she exclaimed aloud:

"Are you talking of living with this, with this, oh, I don't dare to
name him. I'll die if I don't get this matter straightened out; of
living without a marriage ceremony and without his being divorced? I
can't believe that I am awake. I can't! I can't!"

"Certainly I am," replied Suzanne. "It is all arranged between us.
Mrs. Witla knows. She has given her consent. I expect you to give yours,
if you desire me to stay here, mama."

"Give my consent! As God is my witness! Am I alive? Is this my daughter
talking to me? Am I in this room here with you? I." She stopped, her
mouth wide open. "If it weren't so horribly tragic, I should laugh. I
will! I will become hysterical! My brain is whirling like a wheel now.
Suzanne Dale, you are insane. You are madly, foolishly insane. If you do
not hush and cease this terrible palaver, I will have you locked up. I
will have an inquiry made into your sanity. This is the wildest, most
horrible, most unimaginable thing ever proposed to a mother. To think
that I should have lived with you eighteen long years, carried you in my
arms, nursed you at my breast and then have you stand here and tell me
that you will go and live unsanctioned with a man who has a good true
woman now living as his wife. This is the most astounding thing I have
ever heard of. It is unbelievable. You will not do it. You will no more
do it than you will fly. I will kill him! I will kill you! I would
rather see you dead at my feet this minute than to even think that you
could have stood there and proposed such a thing to me. It will never
be! It will never be! I will give you poison first. I will do anything,
everything, but you shall never see this man again. If he dares to cross
this threshold, I will kill him at sight. I love you. I think you are a
wonderful girl, but this thing shall never be. And don't you dare to
attempt to dissuade me. I will kill you, I tell you. I would rather see
you dead a thousand times. To think! To think! To think! Oh, that beast!
That villain! that unconscionable cur! To think that he should come into
my house after all my courtesy to him and do this thing to me. Wait! He
ha