oing away and leaving you as you are now. It's preposterous. If you
cared for Steve I shouldn't insist for a moment, or trouble you again so
long as I lived; but you don't care for him." He took a step forward, and
stopped where she must look him in the face. "You don't care for him,
that way, do you, Elice?" he asked.

Straight in the eyes the girl answered his look. But the lips spoke
nothing.

"And you do love me, love me, don't you, girl?"

Still not a word; only that same steady look.

"Elice,"--the man's hands were on her shoulders, holding her
immovable,--"answer me. This is unbearable. Don't you love me? Say it. I
must know."

Bit by bit the long lashes dropped, until the dark eyes were hid. "I
can't say it yet," she said, "you know that. Don't compel me to."

"Cannot or will not?"

Still no answer, merely silence.

Just noticeably the man's big hands tightened their grip. "I can make you
very happy, Elice, girl," he voiced swiftly; "I know it; because I have
the ability and I love you. I'll take you away, to any place in the world
you wish to go, stay as long as you wish, do whatever you choose. I'll
give you anything you want, anything you ever wanted. I have the power to
do this now, and I'll have more power in future. Nothing can stop me now
or prevent, except death alone. Say the word and I'll not go West
to-morrow. Instead, we'll begin to live. We're both starved for the good
things that life has to offer. We'll eat our fill together, if you but
say the word. We've wasted years--both of us, long, precious years.
There's a big, big debt owing us; but at last, at last--"

"Darley Roberts!"

The man suddenly halted, passive.

"You don't realize what you're doing, what you're saying. It's unworthy
of you."

A moment longer the grip of the big hands still clung as it was. They
dropped, and the man drew back.

"Unworthy?" He looked at her steadily. "Can you fancy I was trying
to--buy you? I thought you realized I love you."

"I do. But--you're only making it harder for me--to do right."

"Do right?" Once more the echo. "Right!" He laughed, as his companion had
never before heard him laugh. "I wonder if it is right to make a certain
cripple of one human being on the chance of making a real weakling less
weak? Right to--" a sudden tense halt. "I beg your pardon," swiftly. "I
didn't mean that. Forget that I said it." He stooped to pick up his cap
and gauntlets. When he came forward once more he w