too late."

The girl sprang indignantly to her feet.

"I've done nothing of the sort, Mrs. Norton. How dare you say so? You've
no right to speak to me as you're doing."

The older woman sat back coolly in her chair and laughed; but her eyes
grew hard.

"Oh yes, I have, my dear girl. You two were the talk of Darjeeling
before I came. Of course you're angry, naturally, at failing to catch
him, but I'm going to put a stop to your trying, here and now. He has
got to break with you."

"You are a wicked woman," began the girl; and then indignation choked
her.

Mrs. Norton leant forward in her chair.

"Can you deny that you're in love with him?" she asked.

Wargrave tried to interpose; but the girl waved him aside and faced her
rival.

"I'll answer you. I am. I love him as you could never do. I was willing
to give him up to you--for he loves me, not you--so that he should not
be false to his word. I didn't know what you were like, then. But now I
don't believe you'd ever make him happy. You don't love him--you haven't
got it in you. You wouldn't be content with any one man. I've watched
you. You're absolutely heartless; and you'd only make Frank miserable.
You're willing to disgrace him as well as yourself. You don't mind if
you ruin him. Frank----"

She turned towards Wargrave.

"You said you loved me. Is it true?"

He answered firmly:

"Yes, I do."

"Then will you marry me? This woman will only wreck your life. Choose
between us."

He turned in desperation to Mrs. Norton.

"Violet, you don't really want me, do you? You don't love me. I've felt
for a long time that you're forgetting me. I love Muriel and she loves
me. If you ever cared for me release me from my promise."

Mrs. Norton lay back calmly in her chair and looked with a smile from
one to the other. Then she said deliberately:

"This morning I wrote to my husband and told him that I was never
returning to him, that I was going to you, Frank. That is why I asked
this girl here to-day to tell you before her that now I'm going to ask
you to keep your promise. Will you?"

The girl looked at him appealingly and stretched out her hands to him.

"Frank, for your own sake, if not for mine, don't listen to her."

He stood irresolute, torn by conflicting emotions. Then with an effort
he replied:

"Muriel, I must. I can't break my word."

Mrs. Norton gave a mocking laugh. The girl shrank from him and hid her
face in her hands for a moment. Then s