He looked again at Elizabeth; her stony calmness irritated him almost to a frenzy. He was too much excited to perceive that her very quiet was the apathy of despair; it seemed to him that she was only testing her power over him to its full extent. If her story was true, she would die rather than humble her pride by protestations or proof; if it was false! There was deceit somewhere, he felt that; but even in his madness he could not believe that Elizabeth had been guilty of anything that affected his honor; that was a black thought which had not reached him yet. "Are you determined to drive me mad?" he exclaimed. She lifted both hands with a strange gesture of misery and humiliation, which he could not have understood. "What have I done?" she cried. "What have I said?" "Nothing! There you sit like a stone, and will not speak." "It is useless to say anything," she returned; "quite useless." "And you expect me to leave this matter here; to endure this mystery patiently?" "I expect nothing--nothing!" The same dreary, desperate wail pervaded her voice, but it was not strange that he mistook her coldness for obstinacy or indifference; the very intensity of agony she was enduring made her appear heartless. "You won't explain--you won't--" She drooped her head wearily. "I have no explanation to make; there is the bracelet." He caught up the bracelet, snatched her arm so rudely, and fastened the bracelet on it with such reckless haste, that she uttered a cry of pain. "You hurt me," she exclaimed; "this is cruel, unmanly." "Wear it," he cried; "wear it, and when you look at it remember that you have dug a gulf between my heart and yours! Wear it, and remember how you have perjured yourself; how your whole conduct since my return has been a lie, and if you have any shame or power of repentance left, the gems will burn into your very soul when you look at them." Elizabeth fell back in her chair cold and white. He rushed out of the room. She was not conscious of any thought; her brain was too dizzy; but sat there clasping her forehead between her hands, and seeming to feel the whole world reel into darkness before her gaze. "Has he gone; where is he?" It was Elsie's voice; she had stolen into the room to learn how the matter had ended. "Can't you speak, Bessie; what did he say?" Elizabeth dropped the hands from her face, and rose from her seat. "No matter what he said; the end is coming. I told you it would; the end is coming!" "Don't look so!" cried Elsie, "you frighten me." "Frighten!" she repeated with intense bitterness. "You haven't soul enough in your bosom to be frightened." "Oh, you cruel, wicked creature!" sobbed Elsie. "Oh, oh! I'll kill myself if you talk so to me; I'll go to Grant; I'll--" "Hush!" interrupted Elizabeth. "There--I will say no more! I don't blame you--remember that! Whatever comes, I won't blame you for this new danger." "Oh, you good, unselfish darling!" cried Elsie, drying her tears at once.