awakening one night when, after a supper in the aquarium
alone with Sir Henry, he broke a long moody silence by laying his hand
on hers, drawing her out of her chair and clasping her to his heart
while he kissed her arms, shoulders, face, hair, and cried,--

'You wonderful, wonderful child. I love you. I love you. I have
loved you since I first saw you. I knew then that the love of my life
had come.... You wonderful untouched child----'

He tried to make her kiss him, to force her to meet his eyes, but she
wrestled with him and thrust him back to relinquish his hold.

'How could you? How could you! How could you?' she asked.

'I have never forgotten that marvellous moonlit night----'

'Please be sensible,' she said. 'Does a man never know when a woman
loves him or not?'

'They don't help one much,' replied Sir Henry, with a nervous grin.
'You were so happy.... I thought. Don't be angry with me! I have
thought of nothing but you since then....'

'A moonlight night and champagne supper,' said she. 'Are they the same
thing to you?'

'Love conquers all,' said Sir Henry, a little sententiously. He was
disgusted. She was not playing the right dramatic part; but she never
did any of the expected things. The ordinary conventions of women did
not exist for her.

She had moved as far away from him as possible and was standing over by
the portrait of Teresa Chesney.

'You must never talk like that again,' she said, 'or I shall not stay
in the theatre.... It is not only the vulgarity of it that I hate, but
that you should have misunderstood.... I was happy to be working with
you in the play. Everything outside that is unimportant.'

'Not love.... Not love,' protested Sir Henry.

'Even love,' she said.

'I thought you liked me,' he mumbled. 'I was so happy giving you
presents. I thought you liked me.... A man in my position doesn't
often find people to like him.'

'So I do,' said Clara. 'You are very like Charles. That is why I
understand you.'

Sir Henry winced. In his heart he thoroughly despised Charles Mann.
He drank a glass of champagne and said nervously,--

'I'm glad we're not going to quarrel.... Forgive me.'

'You have spoiled it all for me,' she said. 'Everything is spoiled.'

She clenched her fists, and her eyes blazed fury at him.

'How dare you treat me as a woman when I had never revealed myself to
you? Isn't that where a man should have some honour? ... You must
un