ain with a man I hate?'

'You must leave him. Of course you must leave him.'

'Oh, before another day has passed!' sobbed Monica. 'It is wrong even
to go back to-day. I love you, and in that there is nothing to be
ashamed of; but what bitter shame to be living with _him_, practising
hypocrisy. He makes me hate myself as much as I hate _him_.'

'Has he behaved brutally to you, dearest?'

'I have nothing to accuse him of, except that he persuaded me to marry
him--made me think that I could love him when I didn't know what love
meant. And now he wishes to get me away from all the people I know
because he is jealous of every one. And how can I blame him? Hasn't he
cause for jealousy? I am deceiving him--I have deceived him for a long
time, pretending to be a faithful wife when I have often wished that he
might die and release me. It is I who am to blame. I ought to have left
him. Every woman who thinks of her husband as I do ought to go away
from him. It is base and wicked to stay there--pretending--deceiving--'

Bevis came towards her and took her in his arms.

'You love me?' she panted under his hot kisses. 'You will take me away
with you?'

'Yes, you shall come. We mustn't travel together, but you shall
come--when I am settled there--'

'Why can't I go with you?'

'My own darling, think what it would mean if our secret were
discovered--'

'Discovered? But how can we think of that? How can I go back there,
with your kisses on my lips? Oh, I must live somewhere in secret until
you go, and then--I have put aside the few things that I want to take.
I could never have continued to live with him even if you hadn't said
you love me. I was obliged to pretend that I agreed to everything, but
I will beg and starve rather than bear that misery any longer. Don't
you love me enough to face whatever may happen?'

'I love you with all my soul, Monica! Sit down again, dearest; let us
talk about it, and see what we can do.'

He half led, half carried, her to a couch, and there, holding her
embraced, gave way to such amorous frenzy that again Monica broke from
him.

'If you love me,' she said in tones of bitter distress, 'you will
respect me as much as before I came to you. Help me--I am suffering so
dreadfully. Say at once that I shall go away with you, even if we
travel as strangers. If you are afraid of it becoming known I will do
everything to prevent it. I will go back and live there until Tuesday,
and come away only