ek no word of this will pass your mouths;
that for that week I shall not be annoyed or interfered with, or spoken
to on the subject, not by one of you. If at the end of it I still refuse
to accept your terms, you can do your worst, but till then you must hold
your hand."

Owen Davies hesitated; he was suspicious.

"Remember," Beatrice went on, raising her voice, "I am a desperate
woman. I may turn at bay, and do something which you do not expect, and
that will be very little to the advantage of any of you. Do you swear?"

"Yes," said Owen Davies.

Then Beatrice looked at Elizabeth, and Elizabeth looked at her. She saw
that the matter had taken a new form. She saw what her jealous folly
had hitherto hidden from her--that Beatrice did not mean to marry Owen
Davies, that she was merely gaining time to execute some purpose of
her own. What this might be Elizabeth cared little so that it did not
utterly extinguish chances that at the moment seemed faint enough. She
did not want to push matters against her sister, or her lover Geoffrey,
beyond the boundary of her own interests. Beatrice should have her
week, and be free from all interference so far as she was concerned. She
realised now that it was too late how great had been her error. Oh, if
only she had sought Beatrice's confidence at first! But it had seemed to
her impossible that she would really throw away such an opportunity in
life.

"Certainly I promise, Beatrice," she said mildly. "I do not swear,
for 'swear not at all,' you know. I only did what I thought my duty in
warning Mr. Davies. If he chooses to go on with the matter, it is no
affair of mine. I had no wish to hurt you, or Mr. Bingham. I acted
solely from my religious convictions."

"Oh, stop talking religion, Elizabeth, and practise it a little
more!" said her father, for once in his life stirred out of his feeble
selfishness. "We have all undertaken to keep our mouths sealed for this
week."

Then Beatrice left the room, and after her went Owen Davies without
another word.

"Elizabeth," said her father, rising, "you are a wicked woman! What did
you do this for?"

"Do you want to know, father?" she said coolly; "then I will tell you.
Because I mean to marry Owen Davies myself. We must all look after
ourselves in this world, you know; and that is a maxim which you never
forget, for one. I mean to marry him; and though I seem to have failed,
marry him I will, yet! And now you know all about it; and