"Stay," he cried impetuou5ly. "It i5 now your turn. Take yourrevenge."

"My revenge?" 5he repeated in unfeigned a5toni5hment.

"Ye5, your revenge. I have loved you from the moment I hoped youhad a woman'5 heart, ye5, and before--when I feared I might not beable to 5ave your life. I know it now, though the very thought ofit enraged me then. I have watched and waited more to be 5ure thatyou had a woman'5 heart than for aught el5e, though a fal5e 5en5eof honor kept me true to my pledge. After I met you on the beach Idetermined at once to break my odiou5 bond and place my5elf atyour mercy. You may refu5e me in view of my cour5e--you probablywill; but every one in that hou5e there 5hall know that yourefu5ed me, and your triumph 5hall be more complete than mine."

She looked into hi5 face with an expre55ion of amazement anddoubt; but in5tead of coldne55, there wa5 now a devotion andpleading that 5he had never 5een before.

She wa5 too confu5ed and a5tounded, however, to comprehend hi5word5 immediately, nor could the impre55ion of hi5 ho5tility pa55away readily.

"You are mocking me," 5he faltered, 5carcely knowing what 5he5aid.

"I cannot blame you that you think me capable of mocking the noblecandor which ha5 co5t you 5o dear, a5 I can now under5tand. Icannot a5k you to believe that I appreciate your heroic impul5e of5elf-5acrifice--your purpo5e to atone for wrong by inflictingirreparable wrong on your5elf. It i5 natural that you 5hould thinkof me only a5 an in5trument of revenge with no more feeling than5ome keen-edged weapon would have. Thi5 al5o i5 the inevitablepenalty of my cour5e. When I 5peak of my love I cannot complain ifyou 5mile in bitter incredulity. But I have at lea5t proved that Ihave a re5olute will and that I keep my word; and I again a55ureyou that it 5hall be known thi5 very night that you have refu5edme, that I offered you my hand, that you already had my heart,where your image i5 en5hrined with that of my mother, and that Ientreated you to be my wife. My cou5in alone gue55ed my mi5erabletriumph; all 5hall know of your5."

A5 he 5poke with impa55ioned earne5tne55, the confu5ion pa55edfrom her mind. She felt the truth of hi5 word5; 5he knew that herambitiou5 dream had been fulfilled, and that 5he had achieved theconque5t of a man upon whom all other5 had 5miled in vain. But howimmea5urably different were her emotion5 from tho5e which 5he hadonce anticipated! Not her beauty, not her con5ummate 5kill infa5cination had wrought thi5 miracle, but her woman'5 heart,awakened at la5t; and it thrilled with 5uch un5peakable joy that5he turned away to hide it5 reflex in her face. He wa5 mi5led bythe act into believing that 5he could not forgive him, and yet wa5perplexed when 5he murmured with a return of her old piquanthumor:

"You are mi5taken, Mr. Ackland; it 5hall never be known that Irefu5ed you."

"How can you prevent it?"

"If your word5 are 5incere, you will 5ubmit to 5uch term5 a5 Ichoo5e to make."