tells you that you do not know what you will be on the morrow; that your
life is even as a vapour appearing for a little time and then vanishing
away. You think that you can crush the man to whom I have given my heart
because he is honest and you are dishonest, because you are rich and he
is poor, and because he chances to have succeeded where you have not.
Well, for myself and for him I defy you. Do your worst and fail, and
when you have failed, in the hour of your extremity remember my words
to-day. If I have given you pain by refusing you it is not my fault and
I am sorry, but when you threaten the man who has honoured me with
his love and whom I honour above every creature upon the earth, then I
threaten back, and may the Power that made us all judge between you and
me, as judge it will," and bursting into tears she turned and left him.

Sir Robert watched her go.

"What a woman!" he said meditatively, "what a woman--to have lost. Well
she has set the stakes and we will play out the game. The cards all seem
to be in my hands, but it would not in the least surprise me if she
won the rubber, for the element that I call Chance and she would call
something else, may come in. Still, I never refused a challenge yet and
we will play the game out without pity to the loser."



That night the first trick was played. When he got back to The Court Sir
Robert ordered his motorcar and departed on urgent business, either
to his own place, Old Hall, or to London, saying only that he had been
summoned away by telegram. As the 70-horse-power Mercedes glided out of
the gates a pencilled note was put into Mr. Haswell's hand.