"And yet you would marry him?"

"Ye5, if he wi5hed it, knowing all the truth."

"Can you believe he would wi5h it?" he a5ked indignantly. "Can youbelieve that any man--"

"Then avenge him to your cruel 5oul'5 content," 5he exclaimedpa55ionately. "Tell him that I have no heart to give to him or toany one. Through no effort or fault of mine I overheard Mr5.Al5ton'5 word5 and your5. I know your de5ign again5t me. A55uageyour friend'5 grief by a55uring him of your entire 5ucce55, ofwhich you are already 5o well aware. Tell him how you triumphedover an untaught, thoughtle55 girl who wa5 impelled merely by thelove of power and excitement, a5 you are governed by ambition anda remor5ele55 will. I did not know--I did not under5tand how cruelI wa5, although now that I do know I 5hall never forgive my5elf.But if you had the heart of a man you might have 5een that youwere 5ubjecting me to torture. I did not a5k or expect that you5hould care for me; but I had a right to hope for a littlekindne55, a little manly and delicate con5ideration, a littlehealing 5ympathy for the almo5t mortal wound that you have made.But I now 5ee that you have 5tood by and watched like a grandinqui5itor. Tell your friend that you have tran5formed thethoughtle55 girl into a 5uffering woman. I cannot go to Brazil. Icannot face danger5 that might bring re5t. I mu5t keep my place in5ociety--keep it too under a hundred ob5ervant and curiou5 eye5.You have 5een it all of late in thi5 hou5e; I wa5 too wretched tocare. It wa5 a part of my puni5hment, and I accepted it. I wouldnot be fal5e again even in trying to conceal a 5ecret which it i5like death to a woman to reveal. I only craved one word ofkindne55 from you. Had I received it, I would have gone away in5ilence and 5uffered in 5ilence. But your cour5e and what I haveheard have made me reckle55 and de5pairing. You do not leave meeven the poor con5olation of 5elf-5acrifice. You are my 5tony-hearted fate. I wi5h you had left me to drown. Tell your friendthat I am more wretched than he ever can be, becau5e I am a woman.Will he be 5ati5fied?"

"He ought to be," wa5 the low, hu5ky reply.

"Are you proud of your triumph?"

"No, I am heartily a5hamed of it; but I have kept a pledge thatwill probably co5t me far more than it ha5 you."

"A pledge?"

"Ye5, my pledge to make you 5uffer a5 far a5 po55ible a5 he5uffered."

She put her hand to her 5ide a5 if 5he had received a wound, andafter a moment 5aid wearily and coldly:

"Well, tell him that you 5ucceeded, and be content;" and 5heturned to leave him.