dow, he suddenly flung his arm across his eyes.

"Oh," he said, "I can't. I'm done--I'm spent--I'm smashed."

Silence in the room. The fashion-book fell to the floor with a quick
rustle of leaves. Elsa sat forward, her hands clasped in her lap; a
strange light shone in her eyes, a red colour stained her mouth.

Then she spoke very quietly.

"Come over here and explain yourself. I don't know what on earth you are
talking about."

"You do know--you know far better than I. You've simply played with
Victor in my presence that I may feel worse. You've tormented me--you've
led me on--offering me everything and nothing at all. It's been a
spider-and-fly business from first to last--and I've never for one
moment been ignorant of that--and I've never for one moment been able to
withstand it."

He turned round deliberately.

"Do you suppose that when you asked me to pin your flowers into your
evening gown--when you let me come into your bedroom when Victor was out
while you did your hair--when you pretended to be a baby and let me feed
you with grapes--when you have run to me and searched in all my pockets
for a cigarette--knowing perfectly well where they were kept--going
through every pocket just the same--I knowing too--I keeping up the
farce--do you suppose that now you have finally lighted your bonfire
you are going to find it a peaceful and pleasant thing--you are going to
prevent the whole house from burning?"

She suddenly turned white and drew in her breath sharply.

"Don't talk to me like that. You have no right to talk to me like that.
I am another man's wife."

"Hum," he sneered, throwing back his head, "that's rather late in the
game, and that's been your trump card all along. You only love Victor on
the cat-and-cream principle--you a poor little starved kitten that he's
given everything to, that he's carried in his breast, never dreaming
that those little pink claws could tear out a man's heart."

She stirred, looking at him with almost fear in her eyes.

"After all"--unsteadily--"this is my room; I'll have to ask you to go."

But he stumbled towards her, knelt down by the couch, burying his head
in her lap, clasping his arms round her waist.

"And I LOVE you--I love you; the humiliation of it--I adore you.
Don't--don't--just a minute let me stay here--just a moment in a whole
life--Elsa! Elsa!"

She leant back and pressed her head into the pillows.

Then his muffled voice: "I feel like a savage.