r vex me unnecessarily."

Waring did not avail himself of the chair indicated, but crossed his
arms over the back of it, and stood so, regarding her intently.

"You only do me justice there," he replied; "I will speak briefly, and
plainly too. I came here from Nice to ask you how much truth there is in
the reports that couple your name with Major Keene's?"

No one likes to give the death-blow to the loyalty of a faithful
adherent, be he ever so humble; and Cecil was bitterly pained that she
could not speak truly, and satisfy him. Her face sank lower and lower,
till it was buried in her hands. Nothing more was needed to convince
Waring that his worst fears were realized; for a moment or two he felt
sick and faint. No wonder; he had given up hope long ago, but not trust
and faith; now, these were blasted utterly. In any religion, whether
true or false, the fanatic is happier, if not wiser, than the infidel;
if you can not replace it with a better, it is cruel to shake the
foundation of the simplest creed. Mark's voice--hollow, and hoarse, and
changed--could not but betray his agony.

"God help us both! Has it come to this--that you have no words to answer
me, when I dare to hint at your dishonor?"

She looked up quickly, flushing to her white brow, rose-red with anger.

"I will not endure this, even from you. Understand at once--I deny your
right to question me." The clear blue eyes met the violet ones with a
steady, judicial calmness, undazzled by their ominous lightning.

"Listen to me quietly--two minutes longer," he said, "and then resent
my presumption as much as you will. Three years ago it pleased you to
make me the subject of an experiment. How far you acted heedlessly, and
in ignorance of the consequences, I have never stopped to inquire--it
would be wasting time; the sophistries of coquetry are too subtle for
me. I only know what the result has been. Before I met you I could have
offered to any woman, who thought it worth her acceptance, a healthy,
honest love; now--even if I could conquer my present infatuation--I
could only offer a feeling something warmer than friendship; to promise
more would be base treachery. Do you think I would stand by God's altar
with a worse lie than Ananias's on my lips? Is it nothing that, to
gratify your vanity or your whims, you should have condemned a man,
whose blood is not frozen yet, to something worse than widowhood for
life? My religion may be a false and vain idolatry