time or your thought to the man you call a 'god.' He's no more a god
than I am. But I tell you one thing--he's a dangerous customer!"

Manella's great bright eyes opened wide like stars in the darkness.

"Dangerous?--How?--I do not understand---!"

"Dangerous!"--repeated Gwent, shaking his head at her--"Not to you,
perhaps,--for you probably wouldn't mind if he killed you, so long
as he kissed you first! Oh, yes, I know the ways of women! God made
them trusting animals, ready to slave all their lives for the sake
of a caress. YOU are one of that kind--you'd willingly make a door-
mat of yourself for Seaton to wipe his boots on. I don't mean that
he's dangerous in that way, because though _I_ might think him so,
YOU wouldn't. No,--what I mean is that he's dangerous to himself--
likely to run risks of his life---"

Here he paused, checked by the sudden terror in the beautiful eyes
that stared at him.

"His life!" and Manella's voice trembled--"You think he is here to
kill himself---"

"No, no--bless my soul, he doesn't INTEND to kill himself"--said
Gwent, testily--"He's not such a fool as all that! Now look here!--
try and be a sensible girl! The man is busy with an invention--a
discovery--which might do him harm--I don't say it WILL--but it
MIGHT. You've heard of bombs, haven't you?--timed to explode at a
given moment?"