Tou brought it yourself. You yourself put it amongst
my wedding-presents with those other books "

He started. Yes, he remembered now the mistake
he had made. He bit his lips, but gave no other
sign of discomfitura

'' And I thank you for your choicest wedding-present,"
she continued. *' I don't know why you brought it, but
I only know that I found it whilst I was hardening
myself to speak to you to-day — and I opened it, thinking
it was a gift from you, and I saw your writing, and



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thought it was some personal outpouring which would
make my task of dismissing you heavier — ^for you had
worked on my feelings and made me believe that you
needed me, that I was your very soul's necessity— -and I
paused. But the temptation was too great, and
I read. I know well enough that it was a dishonour-
able thing to do, that I ought to have thrown it on one
side, but I could not resist, did not wish to resist : for
there was the whole story of my bondage to you, the
whole project revealed, and all the details of fulfilment
commented on. Oh, I have no regrets and no shame
about that yet — the time will come, I suppose, when I
shall feel ac^amed Let it come. It will work in with
all the degradation of this most miserable period of my
life, when I followed the voice of evil rather than of
good, and turned aside from all who loved me and
believed in me for you — an evil spirit. For make no
mistake about that, Theodore Sevan: in my heart of
hearts I have never believed you anything else except
an evil spirit. Tou have rankled in my soul, as all evil
things must of necessity. I blame myself bitterly that I
did not cut you out at the very beginning. But you
interested me; you amused me; you were so different
from every one else, that I thought it would be a new
experience to have someone like you in my life — some-
one whom all other people detested — and so I played
with you. No one could ever condemn me more harshly
than I condemn myself. I despise myself more even
than I despise you. 