trands until the dog was freed and flung far on to the sands.

Then he bent and took hold of Leonie, lifting her bodily from her seat
into his arms, crushing her desperately against his breast.

Just for one moment he stared down with blazing eyes, the nostrils
quivering slightly, and the lips drawn back enough to show the white
even teeth, whilst the rough tweed of his coat marked her cheek, and
the strength of his arms and hands bruised her body even through her
clothes; then he frowned, pushed her hair almost roughly right off her
face, and looked at her with the dawn of recognition in his eyes.

And for just as long Leonie lay quite still, her eyes half closed, her
scarlet mouth opened slightly, enough to show the small white teeth.

And then, she was standing on her feet with her hands clenched in his
against his breast.

"_You_!"

"And _you_!" she replied, striving gently to release her hands.

"Forgive me! For God's sake forgive me! I--I have no excuse!"

A seagull perched itself on the point of a jagged rock, uttered its
raucous cry and was gone towards Bull Point Lighthouse shining in the
sun; a flock of rooks suddenly swirled from the cliffs, screaming
battle upon their opponents as Leonie answered.

"There is nothing to forgive! Some things are beyond our ken. Will
you get me my boots and stockings?"

Her hands shook ever so slightly under the strain of the control she
was forcing upon herself, and the pupils of her eyes were strangely
dilated, looking like bits of night sky set in a moon circle; but she
spoke and moved quickly as the man, having brought the foot-gear and
unwound the cut hair from the abject dog, leant down and picked up a
tough seaweed root.

"No!" she said sharply, laying her hand on his. "No! It's too late to
beat him!"

"I _must_!"

"I say _no_!"

"But you don't understand!"

Her lashes lay like a fringe on the cheek over which swept a flood of
colour as she whispered so softly that the lap of the water almost
drowned the word.

"_Please_!"

Save for the murmur of the water there was no sound whatever in the
rock-strewn empty spot; and save for the swaying of the seaweed in the
pools there was no movement as those two stood close to each other and
Fate counted time.

Then Leonie smiled radiantly and sat down upon a rock with a stocking
in each hand.

"Come and lunch in the next cove!" her companion said in a
matter-of-fact voice, carefully winding the cut s