ht he was dead, and dropped
beside him, a crouched and staring shape of terror.

"What is it? What's the matter?" she cried, raising wild eyes to
Courant.

"Nothing at all," said that unmoved person, squatting down on his heels
and thrusting his hand inside David's shirt. "Only a faint. Why,
where's your nerve? You're nearly as white as he is."

His eyes were full of curiosity as he looked across the outstretched
figure at her frightened face.

"I--I--thought for a moment he was dead," she faltered.

"And so you were going to follow his example and die on his body?" He
got up. "Stay here and I'll go and get some water." As he turned away
he paused and, looking back, said, "Why didn't you do the fainting?
That's more your business than his," gave a sardonic grin and walked
off.

Susan raised the unconscious head and held it to her bosom. Alone,
with no eye looking, she pressed her lips on his forehead. Courant's
callousness roused a fierce, perverse tenderness in her. He might
sneer at David's lack of force, but she understood. She crooned over
him, moved his hair back with caressing fingers, pressing him against
herself as if the strength of her hold would assure her of the love she
did not feel and wanted to believe in. Her arms were close round him,
his head on her shoulder when Courant came back with a dipper of water.

"Get away," he said, standing over them. "I don't want to wet you."

But she curled round her lover, her body like a protecting shield
between him and danger.

"Leave go of him," said Courant impatiently. "Do you think I'm going
to hurt him with a cup full of water?"

"Let me alone," she answered sullenly. "He'll be all right in a
minute."

"You can be any kind of a fool you like, but you can't make me one.
Come, move." He set the dipper on the ground.

He leaned gently over her and grasped her wrists. The power of his
grip amazed her; she was like a mouse in the paws of a lion. Her puny
strength matched against his was conquered in a moment of futile
resistance.

"Don't be a fool," he said softly in her ear. "Don't act like a silly
baby," and the iron hands unclasped her arms and drew her back till
David's head slid from her knees to the ground.

"There! We're all right now." He let her go, snatched up the dipper
and sent a splash of water into David's face.

"Poor David," he said. "This'll spoil his good looks."

"Stop," she almost screamed. "I'd rather ha