Angelica was quite stupefied; she had no clue, no dimmest idea what to say. She didn’t even know whether this weird stuff was meant to be funny. She thought it was and yet---- "You see," he went on, "it’s meant to be horrible. It is horrible, isn’t it?" "Sure!" said Angelica. "It is." "Now wait!" he said peremptorily, and swung round again on the stool, to continue his writing. "Wait!" he muttered again. "Don’t go! I want you to hear this!" She sat perfectly still for a long time. Then, suddenly, he groaned, looked round at her with a sort of glare, and tore up his paper with an oath. "No!" he cried. "No! I can’t _get_ it! Lord, it’s such torment!" He buried his head in his hands. "Angelica!" he said in a muffled voice. "Please come here!" "What is it, Vincent?" she asked gently. "Angelica! What’s going to become of me?" he asked huskily, his face still hidden. The question startled her. "Why, I don’t know," she said. "I suppose you----” "But I’m all alone!" he said in a sort of bewilderment. "They’ve all left me, and you’re going, too!" She didn’t dare to touch him, but her voice was a caress. "Vincent, I’m sorry!" He looked up and seized her hand. "Oh, my love!" he said. "Aren’t we _fools_? Even to think of such a thing as parting! You and I, Angelica, to part! It couldn’t be!" "It’s got to be, Vincent," she answered, trying to withdraw her hand. "No, it’s not. No, Angelica, you shan’t leave me!" "Vincent!" she said. "Don’t! You’ve made enough trouble. Don’t make any more." "It’s you who are making the trouble. You’re breaking my heart, and your own too--yes, yours! You can’t deny it! Every drop of blood in your body tells you the same thing. You need me and you long for me as I need and long for you." "Please!" she said, beginning to cry. "You know I’m going to marry Eddie." "There’s no one else in the world but you and me. All other people, all other things, are shadows--lies--folly! You are a woman and I am a man, and we love each other. We cannot part!" "I must!" she said desperately. "You know I must!" "No! No! Only love me, Angelica, and care for nothing else. Oh, you could not be so base and cowardly as to leave me!" "Oh, Vincent!" she sobbed. "You talk like a fool! You know I can’t stay here!" "Look here!" he said. "Eddie gave me a hundred dollars. Come away with me--now--this instant! Anywhere--it doesn’t matter. Just as we are, friendless, homeless, penniless--just you and I, to make our way together in the world." She shook her head, the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Oh, why didn’t you let me alone?" she cried, forlornly. "My girl, how could I? I couldn’t lose you," he said, surprised. "I couldn’t let you go." "But you must!" "But I won’t!" "If you do really love me, you won’t make me so miserable----”