de.

Suddenly she was seized with shivering. "You will go and we shall never
meet again!" fell from her lips independent of her will.

Dalton took her with determination in his arms and kissed her
passionately on the lips. "My own love!" he moaned over her. "My
precious one!"

This was what her mother had meant when she had spoken of her becoming,
in time, too weak to resist. For the moment her will was as weak as
water; she could only cling to him and yield to their mutual craving for
demonstrations of love. It was wrong, of course,--but, even so, it was
heaven so long as they could banish memory and think only of the joy of
enfolding arms, the meeting of loving lips!

"I shall be going away and we might never meet again!" he echoed her
words in passionate despair. "Pity me a little, when we meet, and let us
be happy! Promise!"

"I dare not promise," she cried, quivering with emotion in his arms. "I
love you, but help me to do right!"

For some time neither spoke while Dalton seemed struggling with the
might of his desire. They rested on the iron bench wrapped in each
other's arms, speechless for many moments till the peacefulness and
silence of the night brought them sanity and calm. Then, kissing her
once more with the tenderness of renunciation, he put her aside and rose
to his feet.

"I wonder you care for such a worthless hound as myself!" he said at
length. "I have no self-control. Go in, darling, I am going home to
scourge myself for attempting to lead you against the dictates of your
conscience. Forgive me, Honey, I was mad!"

Honor left him, shaken in every nerve, her self-confidence shattered.
"Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall!" But it
rejoiced her that Brian Dalton had fought his battle with himself alone,
and had conquered. How much his appreciation of her high sense of honour
had contributed to his victory, she would never know.

CHAPTER XXIV

SUSPENSE

The next morning Honor received a telegram from Joyce to meet her at the
Grand Hotel in Calcutta without delay, and she was only too glad for a
respite of even a few days from the pain of schooling herself to avoid
the man she loved. Her parents having no objection, she caught the
express at midday, and was in Calcutta the same night, her mind
lightened of one of its burdens. At least the little wife had acted upon
advice and was going to her husband without waste of time, after which
all would surely be well