of his lips on her cheek, on her hair--of her cold hands crushed in his,
of the words he uttered--senseless, broken phrases, questions to which
her silence answered and her closed lids acquiesced. If love was what he
was asking for, why did he ask? He had his will of her lips, her hair,
her slim fragrant hands; and now of her tears--for the lashes were wet
and the mouth trembled. Her mind was slowly awaking to pain.

With it, far within her in unknown depths, something else stirred,
stilling her swelling heart. Then every vein in her grew warm; and the
quick tears sprang to her eyes.

"Dearest--dearest--" he whispered. Through the dim star-pallor she
turned toward him, halted, passing her finger-tips across her lashes.

"After all," she said, "it was too late. If there is any sin in loving
you it happened long ago--not to-night.... It began from the--the
beginning. Does the touch of your lips make me any worse?... But I am
not afraid--if you wish it--now that I know I always loved you."

"Shiela! Shiela, little sweetheart--"

"I love you so--I love you so," she said. "I cannot help it any more
than I could in dreams--any more than I could when we met in the sea and
the fog.... Should I lie to myself and you? I know I can never have you
for mine; I know--I know. But if you will be near me when you can--if
you will only be near--sometimes--"

She pressed both his hands close between hers.

"Dear--can you give up your freedom for a girl you cannot have?"

"I did so long since."

She bent and laid her lips on his hands, gravely.

"I must say something--that disturbs me a little. May I? Then, there are
perils--warnings--veiled hints.... They mean nothing definite to me....
Should I be wiser?... It is difficult to say--senseless--showing my
ignorance, but I thought if there were perils that I should know
about--that could possibly concern me, now, you would tell me,
somehow--in time--"

For a moment the revelation of her faith and innocence--the disclosure
of how strange and lost she felt in the overwhelming catastrophe of
forbidden love--how ignorant, how alone, left him without a word to
utter.

She said, still looking down at his hands held between her own:

"A girl who has done what I have done, loses her bearings.... I don't
know yet how desperately bad I am. However, one thing remains
clear--only one--that no harm could come to--my family--even if I have
given myself to you. And when I did it, only the