face again after this."

"Home," she said, in her former contemptuous tone, flinging his arm
away. "That means your cousin Constance."

"Who told you about her?"

"Never mind. You are engaged to her."

"You lie!"

Susanna was shaken. She looked hard at him, wondering whether he was
deceiving her or not. "Look me in the face, Bob," she said. If he had
complied, she would not have believed him. But he treated the challenge
with supreme disdain and stared straight ahead, obeying his male
instinct, which taught him that the woman, with all the advantages on
her side, would nevertheless let him win if he held on. At last she came
caressingly to his shoulder again, and said:

"Why didnt you tell me about her yourself?"

"Damn it all," he exclaimed, violently, "there is nothing to tell! I am
not engaged to her: on my oath I am not. My people at home talk about a
match between us as if it were a settled thing, though they know I dont
care for her. But if you want to have the truth, I cant afford to say
that I wont marry her, because I am too hard up to quarrel with the
governor, who has set his heart on it. You see, the way I am
circumstanced----"

"Oh, bother your circumstances! Look here, Bob, I dont want you to