nted me!"

She would never have taken that rifle from the corner and searched for
the cartridges, that she might kill herself! Whether she had consented or
not to go away and ruin Thresk's future she would have had a little faith
wherewith to go on and face the world. If she had only known! But up on
the top of Bignor Hill a blow had been struck under which her faith had
reeled and it had never had a chance of recovery. She laughed harshly.
The heart of her tragedy was now revealed to her. She saw herself the
sport of gods who sat about like cruel louts torturing a helpless animal
and laughing stupidly at its sufferings. She turned again to Thresk and
held out her hand.

"Thank you. You would have ruined yourself for me."

"Ruin's a large word," he answered, and still holding her hand he drew
her down again. She yielded reluctantly. She might misread his character,
but when the feelings and emotions were aroused she had the unerring
insight of her sex. She was warned by it now. She looked at Thresk with
startled eyes.

"Why have you told me all this?" she asked in suspense, ready for flight.

"I want to prepare you. There's a way out of the trouble--the honest way
for both of us: to make a clean breast of it together and together take
what follows."

She was on her feet and away from him in a second.

"No, no," she cried in alarm, and Thresk mistook the cause of the alarm.

"You can't be tried again, Stella. That's over. You have been acquitted."

She temporised.

"But you?"

"I?" and he shrugged his shoulders. "I take the consequences. I doubt if
they would be so very heavy. There would be some sympathy. And
afterwards--it would be as though you had slipped down from Chitipur to
Bombay and joined me as I had planned. We can make the best of our lives
together."

There was so much sincerity in his manner, so much simplicity she could
not doubt him; and the immensity of the sacrifice he was prepared to make
overwhelmed her. It was not merely scandal and the Divorce Court which he
was ready to brave now. He had gone beyond the plan contemplated at
Bombay. He was willing to go hand in hand with her into the outer
darkness, laying down all that he had laboured for unsparingly.

"You would do that for me?" she said. "Oh, you put me to shame!" and she
covered her face with her hands.

"You give up your struggle for a footing in the world--that's what you
want, isn't it?" He pleaded, and she drew her hands awa