‘Then you’ve made a fool of yourself!’ he exclaimed with subdued violence.  ’You’ve got to learn that when I tell you to do a thing you do it—­or I’ll know the reason why!  You’d no business to come out of your room.  Now you’ll just find her and apologise.  You understand?  You’ll go and beg her pardon at once.’

Alice raised her eyes in wretched bewilderment.

‘Beg her pardon?’ she faltered.  ’Oh, how can I?  Why, what harm have I done, Willis?  I’m sure I shan’t beg her pardon.’

’You won’t?  If you talk to me in that way you shall go down on your knees before her.  You won’t?’

His voice had such concentrated savagery in its suppression that Alice shrank back in terror.

‘Willis!  How can you speak so!  What have I done?’

’You’ve made a confounded fool of yourself, and most likely spoilt the last chance you had, if you want to know.  In future, when I say a thing understand that I mean it; I don’t give orders for nothing.  Go and find her and beg her pardon.  I’ll wait here till you’ve done it’

’But I can’t!  Willis, you won’t force me to do that?  I’d rather die than humble myself to her.’

‘Do you hear me?’

She stood up, almost driven to bay.  Her eyes were wet, her poor, crumpled prettiness made a deplorable spectacle.

’I can’t, I can’t!  Why are you so unkind to me?  I have only said what any one would.  I hate her!  My lips won’t speak the words.  You’ve no right to ask me to do such a thing.’

Her wrist was caught in a clutch that seemed to crush the muscles, and she was flung back on to the chair.  Terror would not let the scream pass her lips:  she lay with open mouth and staring eyes.

Rodman looked at her for an instant, then seemed to master his fury and laughed.

’That doesn’t improve your beauty.  Now, no crying out before you’re hurt.  There’s no harm done.  Only you’ve to learn that I mean what I say, that’s all.  Now I haven’t hurt you, so don’t pretend.’

‘Oh, you have hurt me!’ she sobbed wretchedly, with her fingers round her injured wrist.  ’I never thought you could be so cruel.  Oh, my hand!  What harm have I done?  And you used to say you’d never be unkind to me, never!  Oh, how miserable I am!  Is this how you’re going to treat me?  As if I could help it!  Willis, you won’t begin to be cruel?  Oh, my hand!’

‘Let me look at it.  Pooh, what’s amiss?’ He spoke all at once in his usual good-natured voice.  ’Now go and find Adela, whilst I wait here.’

‘You’re going to force me to do that?’

‘You’re going to do it.  Now don’t make me angry again.’

She rose, frightened again by his look.  She took a step or two, then turned back to him.

‘If I do this, will you be kind to me, the same as before?’

‘Of course I will.  You don’t take me for a brute?’

She held her bruised wrist to him.