you mean to tell her that my statement is untrue?'

'No,--' he said; 'not to-day.'

'And you will come back to me?'

'Yes;--I will come back.'

'I have no friend here, but you, Paul. Remember that. Remember all
your promises. Remember all our love,--and be good to me.' Then she let
him go without another word.

CHAPTER XXVII - MRS HURTLE GOES TO THE PLAY

On the day after the visit just recorded, Paul Montague received the
following letter from Mrs Hurtle:--

MY DEAR PAUL,--

I think that perhaps we hardly made ourselves understood to each
other yesterday, and I am sure that you do not understand how
absolutely my whole life is now at stake. I need only refer you to
our journey from San Francisco to London to make you conscious
that I really love you. To a woman such love is all important. She
cannot throw it from her as a man may do amidst the affairs of the
world. Nor, if it has to be thrown from her, can she bear the loss
as a man bears it. Her thoughts have dwelt on it with more
constancy than his;--and then too her devotion has separated her
from other things. My devotion to you has separated me from
everything.

But I scorn to come to you as a suppliant. If you choose to say
after hearing me that you will put me away from you because you
have seen some one fairer than I am, whatever course I may take in
my indignation, I shall not throw myself at your feet to tell you
of my wrongs. I wish, however, that you should hear me. You say
that there is some one you love better than you love me, but that
you have not committed yourself to her. Alas, I know too much of
the world to be surprised that a man's constancy should not stand
out two years in the absence of his mistress. A man cannot wrap
himself up and keep himself warm with an absent love as a woman
does. But I think that some remembrance of the past must come back
upon you now that you have seen me again. I think that you must
have owned to yourself that you did love me, and that you could
love me again. You sin against me to my utter destruction if you
leave me. I have given up every friend I have to follow you. As
regards the other--nameless lady, there can be no fault; for, as
you tell me, she knows nothing of your passion.

You hinted that there were other reasons,--that we know too little
of each other. You meant no doubt that you knew too litt