in her throat, for she had hushed it, but a bird in her heart. It had
been singing ever since he had entered the room. It had been singing
with her the duo of which lightly she had spoken. But it was singing too
loud.

Hastily she replaced the score, pulled at another, shoved it back.

"Won't you tell me?" Lennox was asking.

It will burst, she thought. Sidling from the bench, she went to the
sofa, looked at it as though she had never seen it before, and sat down.

"Won't you?" he repeated.

She glanced over at him. Apparently now she was calm as you please.

"People marry out of optimism, or at any rate I did. I have had my
lesson, thank you."

Lennox stood up. "You have suffered----"

"I read somewhere," she cut in, "that we have to suffer terribly before
we learn not to suffer at all." Pausing, she added: "I suppose then we
are dead."

She was getting away from it and he rounded on her.

"See here! We have both been in hell, but that's over. Even otherwise,
hell would not be hell to me if I were in it with you."

Thump! Thump! It was worse than ever. None the less she looked cool as a
cucumber.

"The prospect is not very tempting. Besides, even if it were----" Again
she paused, but this time without getting on with it.

He came toward her. "Even if it were what?"

"Temptation has its dangers. It may lead to captivity."

"And you fear that?"

"For you, yes."

"For me!" he exclaimed.

How it thumped! It thumped so that it hurt, yet spartanly she contrived
to smile.

"You or any one. I was speaking generally. Then, too, you know, hell may
not be all your fancy pictures it."

He floundered in it. "What do you mean?"

"In no time you might get sick to death of me."

"Never!"

The denial exploded with such violence that the walls fell. Or at least
so it seemed to Cassy. It seemed to her that the room had become a tent
of fulgurant colours. They were blinding. She could not look at them.
How delicious it all was, though! In spite of which, she sighed.

"Well, there is no telling. Some day I may go and take a look there."

With mounting astonishment he repeated it. "Some day! But, if you ever
will, why not now?"

Her eyes then were on him. "To find out."

"Find out what?"

"How you felt about it."

"But how could you, if you don't care for me?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you told me so."

Innocently, with an air of wonder, she took it up. "Did I? I don't think
so. I am sure