puritanism which
was in his blood. The sea spoke to him of the vastness of life, and
dared him to cast his away, soiled and tarnished, for the sake of a
brief, passionate delight. The breeze, nature's very voice, whispered
to him to stand true to himself, and taste once more and for ever the
deep joy of pure and perfect communion with her. The voices of his
past life spoke to him in one long, sweet chorus, and held up to him
those ideals to which he had been ever true. And blended with all were
memories, faint but sweet, of a fair womanly face, into whose clear
grey eyes he could never dare to look again if he yielded now to this
fierce temptation. A new strength came upon him, and brought with it a
great tenderness.

"Adrea, my child," he said softly, "you make me almost forget that I
am your guardian and you are my ward. Sit down here! I want to talk to
you."

He led her, dumb and unresisting, to a chair, and stood by her side.

"Adrea----"

She interrupted him, throwing his arms roughly from her shoulder, and
springing to her feet.

"How dare you touch me! How dare you stand there and mock me! Oh! how
I hate you! hate you! hate you!"

Her voice and every limb trembled with passion, and her face was as
pale as death. Before her anger he bowed his head and was silent.
Against the sombre background of dark curtains, her slim form seemed
to gain an added strength and dignity.

"You have insulted me, Paul de Vaux! Do I not owe you enough already,
without putting this to the score! Dare you think that it was indeed
my love I offered you--you who stood by and saw my father murdered
that you might be spared from shame and disgrace! Bah! Listen to me
and go! You have a brother? Good! I shall ruin him, shall break his
heart; and, when the task is over, I shall cast him away like an old
glove! Oh, it will be easy, never fear! I shall do it. Arthur is no
cold hypocrite, like you. He is my slave. And when I have ruined him,
have set my foot upon him, it will be your turn, Monsieur Paul de
Vaux. Listen! I will know my father's secret! I will know why he was
murdered! I will discover everything! Some day the whole world shall
know--from me. Now go! Out of my sight, I say! Go! go! go!"

With bowed head and face as white as death Paul walked out of the
room, with her words ringing in his ears like the mocking echoes of
some hideous nightmare.

CHAPTER X

"I AM BUT A SLAVE, AND YET I BID THEE COME"

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