She stood swaying a little, her hands still tightly clenched, breathing
through half parted lips in short, quick, jerky inhalations like dry
sobs.

"It's true," she faltered suddenly--and suddenly buried her face in her
hands. And then she looked up again, and the brown eyes in their depths
held an anger and a shame. "It's true--I was--was--what you say. But
now"--her voice hurried on, an eagerness, a strange earnestness in
it--"you must believe me--you must. I'll make you--I must make you."

"Oh, don't hurt yourself trying to do it!" jeered Madison. "We're
talking plain now. I'm not taking into account how you feel about it
--don't you fool yourself for a minute. The sanctity of my home hasn't
been ruined--because it couldn't be! Get that? Thornton don't get
you--not for _keeps_! But you and he don't make a monkey of me again. Do
you understand--say, do you get that? You're _mine_--whether you like
it or not--whether you'd rather have Thornton or not. But I'll fix you
both for this--I'm no angel with a cherub's smile! I'll take it out of
Thornton till the laugh he's got now fades to a fare-thee-well; and I'll
put you where there aren't any strings tying me up the way there are
here. Do you understand!" His voice rose suddenly, and for a moment he
seemed to lose all control of himself as he reached for her and caught
her shoulder. "I love you," he flashed out between his teeth. "I love
you--that's what's the matter with me! And you know that--you know
you've got me there--and you'd play the fool with me, would you!" He
dropped his hands--and laughed a short, savage bark--and stepped back
and stared at her.

"Will you listen?"--she was twisting her hands, her head was drooped,
the long lashes veiled her eyes, her lips were quivering. "Will you