u are!"

He stared into her haggard face. She met his eyes resolutely.

"That's what you are!"

"Yes."

"Why have you told me this to-day?"

"Of course you knew it long ago."

"Answer me. Why have you told me to-day?"

"I don't know."

"I do. You have told me to-day because you have had enough of me. You
meant to use Jimmy to get rid of me as you once used him to get to know
me more intimately. When you found that wouldn't serve your turn, you
made up your mind to speak a word or two of truth. You thought you would
disgust me into leaving you."

"Of course you knew it long ago," she repeated in a dull voice.

"I didn't know it. I might have suspected it. In fact, once I did, and
I told you so. But you drove out my suspicion. I don't know exactly how.
And since then--after you got your verdict in London I saw Dumeny smile
at you as he went out of the Court. I have never been able to forget
that smile. Now I understand it. One by one you've managed to get rid
of them all. And now at last you've arrived at me, and you've said to
yourself, 'It's his turn to be kicked out now.' Haven't you?"

"Nothing can last forever," she murmured huskily.

"No. But this time you're not going to scrawl 'finis' exactly when you
want to."

"It's getting dark, and I'm tired. My hand is hurting me."

He gripped her shoulders more firmly.

"If you meant some day to get rid of me, to kick me out as you've kicked
out the others," he said grimly, "you shouldn't have made me come to
you that night when Jimmy was at Buyukderer. That was a mistake on your
part."

"Why?" she asked, almost in a whisper.

"Because that night through you I lost something; I lost the last shred
of my self-respect. Till that night I was still clinging on to it. You
struck my hands away and made me let go. Now I don't care. And that's
why I'm not going to let you make the sign of the cross over me and
dismiss me into hell. Your list closes with me, Cynthia. I'm not going
to give you up."

She shook slightly under his hands.

"Why are you trembling?"

"I'm not trembling; but I'm tired; let me alone."

"You can go to Sonia now if you like, and have your hand bathed."

He lifted his hands from her shoulders, but she did not move.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I shall wait for you here."

"Wait for me?"

"Yes. We'll dine together to-night."

"Where?" she said helplessly.

"Here, if you like."

"There's scarcely anything to eat