sight! And I wouldn't have married you for love, mind you!--only for
curiosity!"

He withdrew from her a couple of paces,--a glimmer of white teeth
between his dark moustache and beard gave his face the expression of
a snarl more than a smile.

"For curiosity!" she repeated, stretching out a hand and touching
his arm--"To see what the thing that calls itself a man is made of!
I did my very best with you, didn't I?--uncouth as you always were
and are!--but I did my best! And all Washington thought it was
settled! Why wouldn't you do what Washington expected?"

The light of the moon fell full on her upturned face. It was a
wonderful face,--not beautiful according to the monotonous press-
camera type, but radiant with such a light of daring intelligence as
to make beauty itself seem cheap and meretricious in comparison with
its glowing animation. He moved away from her another step, and
shook his arm free from her touch.

"Why wouldn't you?" she reiterated softly; then with a sudden ripple
of laughter, she clasped her hands and uplifted them in an attitude
of prayer--"Why wouldn't he? Oh, big moon of California, why? Oh,
pagan gods and goddesses and fauns and fairies, tell me why? Why
wouldn't he?"

He gave her a glance of cool contempt.

"You should have been on the stage!" he said.