loathes me."

Fleda had stood clutching the knob of Maggie's little painted
stair-rail; she took, on the stairs, a step backward. "Why then doesn't
she prove it in the only clear way?"

"She _has_ proved it. Will you believe it if you see the letter?"

"I don't want to see any letter," said Fleda. "You'll miss your train."

Facing him, waving him away, she had taken another upward step; but he
sprang to the side of the stairs and brought his hand, above the
banister, down hard on her wrist. "Do you mean to tell me that I must
marry a woman I hate?"

From her step she looked down into his raised face. "Ah, you see it's
not true that you're free!" She seemed almost to exult. "It's not
true--it's not true!"

He only, at this, like a buffeting swimmer, gave a shake of his head and
repeated his question. "Do you mean to tell me I must marry such a
woman?"

Fleda hesitated; he held her fast. "No. Anything is better than that."

"Then, in God's name, what must I do?"

"You must settle that with her. You mustn't break faith. Anything is
better than that. You must at any rate be utterly sure. She _must_ love
you--how can she help it? _I_ wouldn't give you up!" said Fleda. She
spoke in broken bits, panting out her words. "The great thing is to keep
faith. Where _is_ a man if he doesn't? If he doesn't he may be so cruel.
So cruel, so cruel, so cruel!" Fleda repeated. "I couldn't have a hand
in _that_, you know: that's my position--that's mine. You offered her
marriage: it's a tremendous thing for her." Then looking at him another
moment, "_I_ wouldn't give you up!" she said again. He still had hold of
her arm; she took in his blank alarm. With a quick dip of her face she
reached his hand with her lips, pressing them to the back of it with a
force that doubled the force of her words. "Never, never, never!" she
cried; and before he could succeed in seizing her she had turned and,
scrambling up the stairs, got away from him even faster than she had got
away from him at Ricks.

XVII

Ten days after his visit she received a communication from Mrs.
Gereth--a telegram of eight words, exclusive of signature and date.
"Come up immediately and stay with me here"--it was characteristically
sharp, as Maggie said; but, as Maggie added, it was also
characteristically kind. "Here" was an hotel in London, and Maggie had
embraced a condition of life which already began to produce in her some
yearning for hotels in London. Sh