wife,
and that's God's truth. I told you that I would make you happy. That I
know I can do, and I will do. Your brother judges me by the fiddling
little rules he and the like of him live by. He calls himself a
gentleman, and says I'm not one. I know I'm not his kind of a gentleman.
I've no wish to be; I'm something bigger. I've got my own honour. _You_
know how I've treated you. Your own mother couldn't have been more
careful of you. And so I'll treat you to the end of the chapter when you
give me the right to. You can't go back now; it's too late. You see how
this precious brother of yours looks at you, after what you have done.
You'll be sorry if you throw yourself into _his_ hands again. Show some
pluck and send him about his business. You can trust yourself to me. You
won't regret it."

The shadow of his spell was over her again. She hesitated once more and
Dick's face became hard and angry. "Before you decide," he said, "let me
tell you this, that if you do marry this fellow you will never come to
Kencote again or see any of us as long as you live."

"You won't see your eldest brother," said Mackenzie. "I'll take care of
that. But you _will_ see those you want to see. I'll see to that too.
It's time to end this. I keep you to your word. You said you were mine,
and you meant it. I don't release you from your promise."

Cicely's calm broke down. "Oh, I don't know what to do," she cried. "I
did promise."

"I keep you to your promise," said Mackenzie inexorably.

Then Jim, who had kept silence all this time, spoke at last. "Cicely,"
he said, "have you forgotten that you made _me_ a promise?"

"O Jim," she said, without looking at him, "don't speak to me. I have
behaved very badly to you."

"You never wanted to marry him," said Mackenzie roughly. "He's not the
husband for a girl of any spirit."

Jim made no sign of having heard him. His face was still turned towards
Cicely. "It has been my fault," he said. "I've taken it all for granted.
But I've never thought about anybody else, Cicely."

Mackenzie wouldn't allow him to make his appeal as he had allowed Dick.
"He has had five years to take you in," he said. "He told me so. And he
hasn't taken you because he might have less money to spend on himself,
till he'd paid off his rates and taxes. He told me that too. He can
afford to keep half a dozen horses and a house full of servants. He
can't afford a wife!"

He spoke with violent contempt. Dick gazed at him s