Her forehead contracted slightly and she pressed her

lips together.

"I suppose that even then the conspiracy was thoroughly

arranged," I said tauntingly, laughing a little

perhaps, and wishing to wound her, to take vengeance

upon her.

She rose and stood by her chair, one hand resting

upon it. I faced her; her eyes were like violet seas.

She spoke very quietly.

"Mr. Glenarm, has it occurred to you that when I

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talked to you there in the park, when I risked unpleasant

gossip in receiving you in a house where you had

no possible right to be, that I was counting upon something,

-foolishly and stupidly,-yet counting upon it?"

"You probably thought I was a fool," I retorted.

"No;"-she smiled slightly-"I thought-I believe

I have said this to you before!-you were a gentleman.

I really did, Mr. Glenarm. I must say it to justify

myself. I relied upon your chivalry; I even thought,

when I played being Olivia, that you had a sense of

honor. But you are not the one and you haven't the

other. I even went so far, after you knew perfectly

well who I was, as to try to help you-to give you another

chance to prove yourself the man your grandfather

wished you to be. And now you come to me in a shocking

bad humor,-I really think you would like to be

insulting, Mr. Glenarm, if you could."

"But Pickering,-you came back with him; he is

here and he's going to stay! And now that the property

belongs to you, there is not the slightest reason why

we should make any pretense of anything but enmity.

When you and Arthur Pickering stand together I take

the other side of the barricade! I suppose chivalry

would require me to vacate, so that you may enjoy at

once the spoils of war."

"I fancy it would not be very difficult to eliminate

you as a factor in the situation," she remarked icily.

"And I suppose, after the unsuccessful efforts of Mr.

Pickering's allies to assassinate me, as a mild form of

elimination, one would naturally expect me to sit calmly

down and wait to be shot in the back. But you may tell

Mr. Pickering that I throw myself upon your mercy.

I have no other home than this shell over the way, and

I beg to be allowed to remain until-at least-the bluebirds

come. I hope it will not embarrass you to deliver

the message."

"I quite sympathize with your reluctance to deliver

it yourself," she said. "Is this all you came to say?"

"I came to tell you that you could have the house,

and everything in its hideous walls," I snapped; "to

tell you that my chivalry is enough for some situations

and that I don't intend to fight a woman. I had accepted

your own renouncement of the legacy in good

part, but now, please believe me, it shall be yours to-morrow.

I'll yield possession to you whenever you ask

it,-but never to Arthur Pickering! As against him

and his treasure-hunters and assassins I will hold out

for a dozen years!"




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