urned at last from his horrid review and met the eyes of his host.

"I see what you meant, now, by 'painted' women. Well, they'd much
_better_ be dead!"

At the tone, cruelly cool as if he planned to see that they were, Mr.
Montagu shivered. "Why, _why_ do you hate them like that?" he
whispered.

The fierce anger flickered dangerously in the great eyes again.

"Because they're my enemy! Because they and the wicked thing they mean
are my prowling, triumphant enemy, and the enemy of all others like me!"

"Oh, my boy, my boy!" pleaded the man of the world, sickly. "You don't
realize it, but I can tell you from appearances--some of those women you
stared at are here with their _husbands_!"

"So was _your_ wife when she came here," said the boy.

Mr. Montagu fell back in his chair with a gasp. As swiftly as it had
leapt into his mind, the frightful implication of the words leapt out
again in his amazement at the boy's knowledge of the incident.

But the waiter stepped between them with the order, and in obvious
terror now instead of simple aversion, clattered it down with trembling
hands.

"Go away! Go away!" commanded Mr. Montagu angrily. "_I'll_ arrange it!
Go!" And the waiter escaped.

"How did you know?" he asked; but without waiting for a reply he poured
out the boy's wine and his own, and took a long hasty draft.

"Now, how did you?"

"Oh!" cried the boy piteously. "Don't ask me! I shouldn't have said it!
I knew I'd let it out if you came here with me! I'll be telling you
everything in a minute, and you'll go stark mad when you know!"

The inference rushed again upon Henry Montagu, a worse vague horror than
any yet, and he almost sprang from his chair.

"Are you going to tell me my wife was unfaithful to me, and
with--with--"

"Fool! Fool!" cried the boy. "I wish to God she _had_ been unfaithful to
you! I tried to make her, I can tell you that! Then there'd have been at
least half a chance for _me_! But now that she's dead, there's no chance
for either of us, even you! Unless--O God!--unless you'll control
yourself and think! I beg you again, I beg of you, _think_ again! Go
away from here, go now, without asking me anything more, and there's
just a shade of a chance for you! I told you there was none if you left
the house, but there may be, there may be! Go home, and forget this, and
be satisfied your wife loved you, for she did. She kept herself for you
_at my expense_! Go now, and they'll let you go