His eyes met hers relentlessly.  “Yes, I am myself—­and no one else,” he said.  “I fancy you have never quite realized me before.  Possibly you have deliberately blinded yourself.  But you know me now, and it is as well that you should.  It is the only way to an ultimate understanding.”

She blenched a little in spite of herself.  “And you—­and you—­once—­thrashed—­Guy,” she said, her voice very low, sunk almost to a whisper.  “Was it—­was it—­was it like—­that?”

He turned sharply away as if there were something intolerable in the question.  He went to the window and stood there in silence.  And very oddly at that moment the memory of Kelly’s assurance went through her that he had been fond of Guy.  She did not believe it, yet just for the moment it influenced her.  It gave her strength.  She got up, and went to his side.

“Burke,” she said tremulously, “promise me—­please promise me—­that you will never do that again!”

He gave her a brief, piercing glance.  “If he keeps out of my way, I shan’t run after him,” he said.

“No—­no!  But even if he doesn’t—­” she clasped her hands hard together—­“Burke, even if he doesn’t—­and even though he has disappointed you—­wronged you—­oh, have you no pity?  Can’t you—­possibly—­forgive?”

He turned abruptly and faced her.  “Forgive him for making love to you?” he said.  “Is that what you are asking?”

She shivered at the question.  “At least you won’t—­punish him like that—­whatever he has done,” she said.

He was looking full at her.  “You want my promise on that?” he said.

“Yes, oh yes.”  Very earnestly she made reply though his eyes were as points of steel, keeping her back.  “I know you will keep a promise.  Please—­promise me that!”

“Yes,” he said drily.  “I keep my promises.  He can testify to that.  So can you.  But if I promise you this, you must make me a promise too.”

“What is it?” she said.

“Simply that you will never have anything more to do with him without my knowledge—­and consent.”  He uttered the words with the same pitiless distinctness as had characterized his speech when dictating to Kieff.

She drew sharply.  “Oh, but why—­why ask such a promise of me when you have only just proved your own belief in me?”

“How have I done that?” he said.

“By taking my part before all those horrible men downstairs.”  She suppressed a hard shudder.  “By—­defending my honour.”

Burke’s face remained immovable.  “I was defending my own,” he said.  “I should have done that—­in any case.”

She made a little hopeless movement with her hands and dropped them to her sides.  “Oh, how hard you are!” she said, “How hard—­and how cruel!”

He lifted his shoulders slightly, and turned away in silence.  Perhaps there was more of forbearance in that silence than she realized.

He did not ask her where she had been with Kelly or comment upon the fact that she had been out at all.  Only after a brief pause he told her that they would not leave till the following day as he had some business to attend to.  Then to her relief he left her.  At least he had promised that he would not go in search of Guy!