ch an infatuated fool that I am content to let you tread on me."

"I have no wish to do that, but--"

"You do--you do--you do!" she said, vehemently. "Why can you not love
me? I would be a better wife than that doll you--"

"Drop that, Maraquito. Leave Miss Saxon's name out of the question."

"I shall talk of Miss Saxon as long as I like," cried Maraquito,
snapping the fan and growing flushed. "You scorn me because I am an
invalid--"

"I do not. If you were perfectly restored to health I would give you
the same answer." Mallow was on his feet by this time. "I think it
would be wise of me to go."

But Senora Gredos, stretching out her hand, caught him by the coat
convulsively. "No! no! no!" she muttered fiercely. "I did not ask you
to come here. I did not send for you. But now that you are here, you
will stop. We must understand one another."

"We do understand one another," said Cuthbert, who was growing angry at
this unreasonable attitude. "You must know that I am engaged to Miss
Saxon!"

"You will never marry her--never!" cried Maraquito passionately; "oh,
cruel man, can you not see that I am dying of love for you."

"Maraquito--"

"If I were not chained to this couch," she said between her teeth, "I
should go after her and throw vitriol in her face. I would give her
cause to repent having lured you from me with her miserable doll's
face. Pah! the minx!"

Cuthbert grew really angry. "How dare you speak like this?" he said.
"If you were able to attack Miss Saxon in the vile way you say, I
should show you no mercy."

"What would you do--what would you do?" she panted.

"Put you in jail. That sort of thing may do abroad but we don't allow
it here. I thought you were merely a foolish woman. Now I know you
are bad and wicked."

"Cuthbert--Cuthbert."

"My name is Mallow to you, Senora Gredos. I'll go now and never see
you again. I was foolish to come here."

"Wait--wait," she cried savagely, "it is just as well that you are
here--just as well that we should come to an understanding."

"There can be no understanding. I marry Miss Saxon and--"

"Never, never, never! Listen, I can ruin her--"

"What do you mean?"

"Her brother--"

"Oh, Basil, I know all about that."

Maraquito threw herself back on her couch, evidently baffled. "What do
you know?" she demanded sullenly.

"That you are about to accuse him of the death of Miss Loach."

"Yes, I do. He killed her. There is a