'You could not open the door if you reached it,' he said. 'You said

that you wanted to speak with me alone. We are alone here--quite alone.

No one can hear, even if you scream. No one can get in. Why did you say

you wanted to be alone with me, if you were not in earnest? Why do you

risk playing with a man who is crazy about you, and has everything in

the world except you, and would throw it all away to have you? And now

that you are here of your own accord, why should I let you go?' The speech was rough, but there was a sudden caress in his voice with

the last words, and he had scarcely spoken them when another flash of

lightning filled the room with a maddening purple light.

Before the peal broke, Logotheti held Margaret by the wrists, and spoke

close to her face, very fast.

'I will not let you go. I love you, and I will not let you go.' The thunder burst, and roared and echoed away, while he drew her

nearer, looking for the woman in her eyes, too mad to know that she did

not feel what he felt. He touched her now; he could feel her

breathings, fast and frightened, and the quiver that ran through her

limbs. He held her, but without hurting her in the least--she could

turn her wrists loosely in the bonds he made of his fingers. Yet she

could not get away from him and he drew her closer.

She threw her head back from his face, and tried to speak.

'Please--please, let me go.' 'No. I love you.' He drew her till she was pressed against him, and he held her hands in

his behind her waist. The air was clearing with a furious rush of rain,

and her courage was not all gone yet. She looked up to the high

windows, as one about to die might look up from the scaffold, and there

was a streak of clear blue sky between the driving clouds. It was as if

hope looked through, out of heaven, at the girl driven to bay.

Margaret did not try to use her strength, for she knew it was useless

against his. But she held her head back and spoke slowly.

'For your mother's sake,' she said, low and clear, her eyes on his.

For one moment his grasp tightened and his white teeth caught his lower

lip; but his look was changing slowly.

'For her sake,' Margaret said, 'as you would have kept harm from

her----' His hold relaxed, and he turned away. There was good in him still; he

had loved his mother.




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