ire.

"I was wronged!" he said, sharply. "These people had defrauded me. I
wanted what was justly mine."

"Wanted?" The word formed itself almost inarticulately.

"Yes; wanted. Wanted with all my might. I have worked, schemed, suffered
for this in ways you could never imagine. I thought myself invincible.
I believed that if the devil himself stood in my way it would not deter
me. And now you--a frail girl--have wrecked the scheme!" He paused
again, leaning towards her in sudden unconscious appeal for
comprehension.

"I won't say it hasn't been a struggle to come to you like this--to make
my confession. It has. My conscience and I have been struggling night
and day. I have held out to the last. It was only to-day--this very
day--when I woke to face the crisis of my plans, that I knew I was
beaten--knew the fight was over.

"And do you understand why this has happened? Do you know why I am going
away as empty-handed as I came? It is because I have seen you--because I
love you--"

He put out his hands. But as his fingers touched her, she thrust him
away, freeing herself with fierce resentment.

"Don't! don't! don't!" she cried. "You call yourself an impostor--You
are worse than that. Much worse. You are a thief!"

He stepped back as though she had struck him, and his hands dropped to
his sides.

"Yes, you are a thief!" she said again, hysterically; "a thief!"

The repetition of the word goaded him.

"Wait! Let me defend myself!"

But with a broken sound of protest she flung her hands over her ears.

"No! no! no!" she cried, vehemently. "There is no defence to make. There
is no defence. You may leave the money of the sect, but you have stolen
things that can never be replaced. Faith--hopes--ideals--" Her voice
failed her.

"Mistaken faith--mistaken ideals--" He caught her wrists, drawing her
hands downward.

But again she freed herself and confronted him with blazing eyes and a
face marred by tears and emotion.

"Nothing is mistaken that lifts one up--that helps one to live. Oh, you
don't knew what you have done! You don't know! I thought you so
noble--so great--and now--"

"Now I am condemned unheard."

"Unheard? Do you think words could change anything? There is only one
thing I wish for now--never, never to see you again as long as either of
us live!" With each word her voice rose, and on the last it broke with
an excited sob.

While she had been speaking the Prophet's face had become very pale.