y
matters nothing to me. In any case, nobody knows that Mr Riviere is your
husband."

"But they will."

"You mean that you'll tell them?"

"It must come out."

"You mean that you want Mr Riviere to return to you openly as your
husband?"

"Naturally."

"Then why did you tell me yesterday that you had cut definitely loose
from him? That you never wanted to see him again? That he was free to
live out his life as John Riviere?"

"Why did you say that you had lived with my husband at Nimes?" retorted
Olive sharply. "That you'd let the divorce suit go undefended?"

It thundered upon Riviere what Elaine had done for him--how she had
wrought her miracle--and that moment cleared his mind of all doubt and
hesitancy.

"I've heard sufficient," he cut in.

"You've not heard all I've got to say!" pursued Olive vindictively, and
a torrent of words poured out from her: "It was a pretty scheme your
Miss Verney had planned! She was to egg me on to divorce you, so that
she could get a clutch on your feelings and marry you and your money!
Your money--that puts it in a nutshell! That's the kind of woman a man
like you falls in love with! A woman who's too shrewd and too cunning to
commit herself. Who provokes and tantalizes and lures on a man, and then
stops him short at the very last moment. The musical-comedy type. The
'mind the paint' girl. A hundred times worse than the frankly vicious. A
woman who knows that a week of living with a man would sicken him of
her. Who's shrewd enough to tantalize him into hand-and-feet marriage.
That's your Miss Verney. You're welcome to her as Miss Verney! So long
as I live, you'll never have her as your wife! That's my last word--my
absolute final last word!"

Olive rose from her chair, quivering in every limb, and swept out of the
room.

Elaine bowed her head in the shame of those bitter words.

Riviere came to her side and kissed her hand reverently.

"You did this for me. I understand all. Elaine, dear, I understand it
all. There's no need for you to explain."

"You don't believe----?"

"Not a word of it! You're the sweetest, bravest----" Words failed him,
and he could only take her hand tenderly in his and let his welter of
unspoken thoughts go silently to her.

"The things she said--you don't believe they're true?" she faltered.

"Don't speak of them.... You've piled up a debt on me more than I can
ever repay. You've freed my hands to fight down Larssen, but at what a
cost