“I knew it!” she groaned.  “I knew you wouldn’t!”

“You see,” he said quietly, “it would be impossible.  We must go on supposing for a moment:  if I had put that money away, I might be contemplating a departure——­”

“You’d better!” she cried fiercely.  “He’s going to find out everything you’ve been doing.  He said so.  He’s heard a rumour that you were trying to raise money here; he told me so, and said he’d soon——­”

“The better reason for not delaying, perhaps.  Cora, see here!” He moved nearer her.  “Wouldn’t I need a lot of money if I expected to have a beautiful lady to care for, and——­”

“You idiot!” she screamed.  “Do you think I’m going with you?”

He flushed heavily.  “Well, aren’t you?” He paused, to stare at her, as she wrung her hands and sobbed with hysterical laughter.  “I thought,” he went on, slowly, “that you would possibly even insist on that.”

“Oh, Lord, Lord, Lord!” She stamped her foot, and with both hands threw the tears from her eyes in wide and furious gestures.  “He told me you were married——­”

“Did you let him think you hadn’t known that?” demanded Corliss.

“I tell you I didn’t let him think anything!  He said you would never be able to get a divorce:  that your wife hates you too much to get one from you, and that she’ll never——­”

“See here, Cora,” he said harshly, “I told you I’d been married; I told you before I ever kissed you.  You understood perfectly——­”

“I did not!  You said you had been.  You laughed about it.  You made me think it was something that had happened a long time ago.  I thought of course you’d been divorced——­”

“But I told you——­”

“You told me after!  And then you made me think you could easily get one—­that it was only a matter of form and——­”

“Cora,” he interrupted, “you’re the most elaborate little self-deceiver I ever knew.  I don’t believe you’ve ever faced yourself for an honest moment in——­”

“Honest! you talk about `honest’!  You use that word and face me?”

He came closer, meeting her distraught eyes squarely.  “You love to fool yourself, Cora, but the role of betrayed virtue doesn’t suit you very well.  You’re young, but you’re a pretty experienced woman for all that, and you haven’t done anything you didn’t want to.  You’ve had both eyes open every minute, and we both know it.  You are just as wise as——­”

“You’re lying and you know it!  What did I want to make Richard go into your scheme for?  You made a fool of me.”

“I’m not speaking of the money now,” he returned quickly.  “You’d better keep your mind on the subject.  Are you coming away with me?”

“What for?” she asked.

“What for?” he echoed incredulously.  “I want to know if you’re coming.  I promise you I’ll get a divorce as soon as it’s possible——­”

“Val,” she said, in a tone lower than she had used since he entered the room; “Val, do you want me to come?”