t. An awful wave of anger
surged through her brain, such anger as had never before possessed
her. For the moment she felt sick, as if she had drunk of some
overpowering drug. He meant to humiliate her publicly. She
realized it in a flash. And she was powerless to prevent it.
Whether she went or whether she stayed, he would accomplish his
end. Among all the strange faces that stared at her, only Kelly's,
worried and perplexed, betrayed the smallest concern upon her
account. And he, since her unexpected action, had been obviously
at a loss as to how to deal with the situation or with her.
Single-handed, he would have faced the pack; but with her at his
side he was hopelessly hampered, afraid of blundering and making
matters worse.

"Ah, come away!" he muttered to her. "It's not the place for ye at
all. They're hogs and swine, the lot of 'em. Don't ye be drawn by
the likes of them!"

But she stood her ground, for there was hot blood in Sylvia and a
fierce pride that would not tamely suffer outrage. Moreover, she
had been wounded cruelly, and the desire for vengeance welled up
furiously within her. Now that she stood in the presence of her
enemy, the impulse to strike back, however futile the blow, urged
her and would not be denied.

She confronted Saul Kieff with tense determination. "You will
either repeat--and explain--what you said to your friend regarding
me just now," she said, in tones that rang fearlessly, echoing
through the crowded place, "or you will admit yourself a
contemptible coward for vilely slandering a woman whom you know to
be defenceless!"

It was regally spoken. She stood splendidly erect, facing him,
withering him from head to foot with the scorching fire of her
scorn. A murmur of sympathy went through the rough crowd of men
gathered before her. One or two cursed Kieff in a growling
undertone. But Kieff himself remained absolutely unmoved. He was
smoking a cigarette and he inhaled several deep breaths before he
replied to her challenge. Then, with his basilisk eyes fixed
immovably upon her, as it were clinging to her, he made his deadly
answer: "I will certainly tell you what I said, madam, since you
desire it. But the explanation is one which surely only you can
give. I said to my friend, 'There goes the wife of the Rangers.'
Did I make a mistake?"

"Yes, you damned hound, you did!" The voice that uttered the words
came from the door that led into the office. Burke Ran