care for me--I do not regret that I did not let you alone."

"I shall not marry you."

Her lip trembled but she smiled.

"That is nothing new to me," she said. "Only one man has offered
that."

"Why didn't you take him?" he asked, with an ugly laugh.

"I couldn't. I cared for you."

"And now," he said, "are you afraid of me?"

"Yes--a little."

He leaned forward suddenly, "You'd better steer clear of me!" Her
startled eyes beheld in him a change as swift as his words.

"Fair warning!" he added: "look out for yourself." Everything that
was brutal in him; everything ruthless and violent had marred his
features so that all in a moment the mouth had grown ugly and a
hard, bruised look stamped the pallid muscles of his features and
twitched at them.

"You're taking chances from now on," he said. "I told you once to
let me alone. You'd better do it now. And--" he stared at the
distant man--"I told you that hate is more vital than love. It is.
I've waited a long time to strike. Even now it isn't in me to do it