she faltered, almost as a question.

He laughed scornfully. "I know you're ignorant but you are not a fool,
so don't pretend you are. Of course married women don't need
chaperons, I know all that, but a mere girl like you and that young ass
and almost midnight--but don't let's go into all that." He calmed
himself, swallowing his wrath, and said more gently; "I know it's all
right really, dear, don't think I don't, it's only--well, you know what
people say."

"_What_ do they say?" she asked indignantly.

"As you ask," he answered, letting the words out coldly, "I heard one
man telling another at the Golf Club yesterday that Mrs. Herbertson was
saying she had not yet found out whether Alison or I was Mr. Brett, but
thought _he_ was as you saw more of him. That's a local joke! It's
jolly, isn't it?"

"_I_ think it's disgusting," she answered oddly calm. "I shouldn't
ever care what people with that sort of mind think."

"Well _I_ do," he almost shouted at her, "and I want you to understand
as my wife that I forbid you to see that young Alison again. I don't
know anything about him except that I did him a favour once. And I
don't mean to have it."

"I think you're excited," she said calmly, not at all like the child
that he had always known. She gathered new strength from his sudden
weakness. One of them must have reserve.

"Excited!" he mocked. "Well, who wouldn't be? A dirty-minded little
cad like that!"

"Hubert," she said roused at last, "you've got no right to call him
that. It's you and Mrs. Herbertson and every one that have the dirty
minds. I don't know what you think. He's not a cad. He's _your_
friend and I like him. He's been nice to me." A devil tempted her,
urging her on beyond the point of a good friend's defence. "I'm very
fond of him," she said, provocatively.

And then that devil entered into Hubert Brett. It had been a full
night and excitement all the way. He had not yet recovered from that
garden scene. And now, listening to her words, hearing his rival
praised, he felt again as he had felt when he thought that some harm
had come to her. He seized her in his arms with an unreasoning
passion; held her there, resisting; kissed her furiously on lips, eyes,
everywhere; laughing and saying: "You are mine, mine. You belong to
me, I tell you. You're all mine!"

"Let me go, Hubert," she cried terrified. She could not understand.

He let her go, at that. She moved away and