His Hour

It seemed an eternity before coffee was finished and the four retired

to their bridge. Then the two passed out of the room and on into the

blue salon.

It was extremely difficult for both of them. The Prince could scarcely

control his mad longing to caress her. Only that strange turn in his

character held him. Also the knowledge that once he were to grant

himself an inch he could never restrain the whole of his wild passion,

and there were yet five days before she should be really his--.

Tamara looked a white, frozen shape as she almost fell into the sofa

below the Falconet group. Cupid with his laughing eyes peeped down and

mocked her. Gritzko did not sit beside her. He took a chair and leant

on a table near.

"We had good sport," he said dryly. "Your friend can hit things. We got

two bears."

"Jack must have been pleased," Tamara answered dully.

"And your family--they arrive on Monday, isn't it?" he asked. "Your

brother and sister and the estimable Mrs. Hardcastle?" and he laughed

as he always did at the mention of Millicent. "They will wonder, won't

they, why you are marrying this savage! but they will not know."

"No!" said Tamara. "They must never know." Gritzko's face became

whimsical, a disconcerting, mischievous provoking smile stole into his

eyes.

"Do you know yourself?" he asked.

She looked up at him startled. It was her habit now never to meet his

eyes. Indeed, the sense of humiliation under which she lived had

changed all her fearless carriage of head.

"Why do you ask such questions? I might as well ask you why are you

marrying me. We both know that we cannot help it," and there was a

break in her voice which touched him profoundly.

"Answer for yourself please, I may have several other reasons," he said

coldly, and got up and walked across the room picking up a bibelot here

and there, and replacing it restlessly.

Tamara longed to ask him what these reasons were. She was stirred with

a faint hope, but she had not the courage, the intensity of her feeling

made her dumb.

"They--Tantine--or Sonia--have explained to you all the service, I

suppose," he said at last. "It is different to yours in your country.

It means much more--"

"And is more easily broken."

"That is so, but we shall not break ours, except by death," and he

raised his head proudly. "From Wednesday onward the rest of your life

belongs to me."