rmed yourself into her rooms at night, and then--_then_--yes, I begin
to see a grain of truth among these heaps of lies--then when by an evil
chance, an extraordinary stroke of bad luck, there was danger of your
being discovered, then you persuaded her, the innocent, inexperienced
creature whom you would have wronged if you could--you worked upon her
feelings, you made her into your accomplice, you persuaded her to hide
you.... You mean cur!... You only sneaked out of your hole when escape
was absolutely impossible. And so the truth, or some garbled part of it,
is choked out of you at last. No wonder you were silent all these years.
No wonder you would not speak. No wonder you let your poor dupe of a
brother break his heart over your silence. Credulous fool that I have
been from first to last. So help me God, I will never speak to you
again."

The violent, stammering voice ceased at last.

Fay shivered from head to foot, and looked at her lover.

Both men had forgotten her. Their eyes never left each other.
Wentworth's fierce face was turned with deadly hatred upon his brother.
Michael met his eye, but he did not speak.

There was death in the air.

Suddenly as in a glass she saw that Michael was saving her again, was
sacrificing himself for a second time at enormous cost, the cost of his
brother's love.

"Michael!" said Fay with a sob, "Michael, I can't bear it. You are
trying to save me again, but I can't bear to be saved any more. I have
had enough of being saved. I won't be saved. It hurts too much. I won't
let you do it a second time. I have had enough of being silent when I
ought to speak, I have had enough of hiding things, and pretending, and
being frightened."

Fay saw at last that the truth was her only refuge from that unendurable
horror which was getting up out of its grave again. She fled to it for
very life, and flung herself upon it.

She took Michael's hand, and turning to Wentworth began to speak
rapidly, with a clearness and directness which amazed Magdalen and the
Bishop.

It all came out, the naked truth; her loveless marriage, the great
kindness of her husband towards her, her determination bred of idleness
and vanity to enslave Michael anew when he came to Rome, his resistance,
his decision to leave Italy, her inveigling him under plea of urgency to
come to the garden at night, his refusal to enter the house, her frantic
desire to keep him, his determination to part from her.

There wa