“Oh, don’t flare up so, Lizzie,” and the complacent gambler looked at her with eyes not entirely devoid of admiration.  “It really makes you prettier than ever, but that sort of thing cuts no ice with me.  However, what I have just said stands:  the story flying around here is that you have captured old Winston’s boy, and a damned good catch it is, too.”

She went instantly white as a sheet, her body trembling like an aspen, her quivering lips faltering forth words she could not wholly restrain.

“The story, you say—­the story!  Do—­do you believe that of me?”

“Oh, that does n’t make any difference,” the brute in him frankly enjoying her evident pain.  “Lord, what do you care about my belief?  That was all passed and over with long ago.  All I know is, the fellow is gone on you, all right.  Why, he pulled a gun on me last night merely because I chanced to mention your name in his presence.”

The telltale color swept back into her cheeks in swift wave.  For an instant her eyes wavered, then came back to the man’s sneering face.

“Did—­did you dare tell him?”

He laughed lightly, softly patting his hand on the railing, his own eyes partially veiled by lowered lids.

“Torn off the mask of unimpeachable virtue, have I?” he chuckled, well pleased.  “Rather prefer not to have our late affair blowed to this particular young man, hey?  Well, I suspected as much; and really, Lizzie, you ought to know I am not that sort of a cur.  I ’ve held my tongue all right so far, and consequently I expect you to do me a good deed in return.  That’s a fair enough proposition, is n’t it?”

She did not immediately answer, gazing upon him as she might at some foul snake which had fascinated her, her breath coming in half-stifled sobs, her hand clutching the heavy curtain for support.

“Oh, good God!” she faltered at last, speaking as though half dazed.  “You must possess the spirit of a demon.  Why do you continue to torture me so?  You have no right—­no right; you forfeited all you ever possessed years ago.  Under Heaven, I am nothing to you; and in your heart you know I have done nothing wrong, nothing to awaken even the foul suspicions of jealousy.  Mr. Winston has been my friend, yet even that friendship—­innocent and unsullied—­is already past; we have parted for all time.”

“Indeed!  You are such a consummate actress, Lizzie, I scarcely know what really to believe.  Probably, then, you no longer object to my telling the gentleman the story?”

Her lips closed firmly.

“I shall tell him myself.”

“Oh!  Then, after all your fine words of renunciation, you will see him again!  Your reform is soon ended.  Well, my girl, there is really no necessity for any such sacrifice on your part.  No one here suspects anything regarding our little affair excepting you and me.  You do what I desire with this Winston, and I ’m mum.  What do you say?”