part of an avenger here, a stern, unforgiving Nemesis, but
I would do over again all that I have done, if need be. I am not half
so good as you. I can not submit with meekness to injustice and wrong.
I shall fight my enemies, if I have more to fight, until the end of
the chapter. And now I have a confession to make."

Claire stirs uneasily. "Don't," she says, deprecatingly: "I don't want
to hear a confession."

"But I want to make one, and you must listen. First, however, let me
tell you that during my talk with Mrs. Ralston, I heard about a
certain interview, wherein a ridiculous young lady discarded the man
she loved, because she fancied she would wrong some one else if she
admitted her love for him, and accepted his. Well--don't turn your
face away--that was foolish. But my blunder was a downright wicked
one. Yes, Claire, I will tell all the truth. When you and I stood
together out under the trees, and talked of Clarence Vaughan; when you
showed me the picture and told me the little pastoral about Edward
Percy; I knew that Clarence Vaughan loved you--and I thought I loved,
nay, I did love, _him_.

"When I came down here and found so soon that Edward Percy was--so
utterly unworthy, we will say, because he is dead, I felt at once that
you must be undeceived.

"Then a great temptation came to me, and I said to myself, 'When she
becomes disenchanted, and ceases to love this man, she will learn to
value the other and more noble lover; she will learn to love him!'

"All night long, before I came to undeceive you, and to warn Olive, I
battled with a great temptation. And I yielded to it. Listen, Claire,
while I tell you how base I was.

"When I set out for the city in the morning, I said to myself: 'Claire
Keith is the soul of truth and honor. She is generous to a fault. If I
let her see how much I care for Clarence Vaughan, I shall appeal to
her pity and her honor, without the aid of words. She will never
listen to his suit; she will try to advance my interest; she will
become my ally.' See, dear, how truly I judged you.

"Well, I came. I told you of Percy's baseness, and when I saw how
brave you were; how full of scorn for the dishonest man; how
impossible it was for one so unworthy to drag you down, or darken your
life because of his baseness; I was filled with shame and remorse. I
knew then that I was unworthy your friendship, or of a good man's
love.

"Standing in your presence, humiliated by your pure nobil