He did not seem greatly ruffled by this. “Then,” he continued, “you know that I told you a lie. And you may have the satisfaction--if it is a satisfaction--of knowing also that you are the only person in the whole world who has ever made me do that. That honour,” he added bitterly, “you share with no one: it is yours entirely.” She felt: Now we are getting to it. “I don’t know why it should have been so necessary for you to tell me a lie,” she said. “The fact is,” he announced brutally, “I wanted to get rid of you, and that seemed the only way.” She winced a little at his words, but interposed sharply: “Why did you want to get rid of me?” He grunted something incoherent, and began to walk towards the door. “Look here,” he said, “we’ll go for a walk. I’m not going to have you quarrelling in here.” “But surely we aren’t going to quarrel?” “On the contrary, we _are_ going to quarrel. We’re going to quarrel most damnably.... Come on!” He led her back down the steps into the kitchen. Helen was there preparing a meal. As he passed he addressed her. “Miss Weston and I are going out for a stroll along the sea-wall, Helen.... We shan’t be long. Miss Weston has to get back to town to-night, so she hasn’t got much time to spare.” “You’ve missed the last train already,” replied Helen. “I shall take her in the car to the junction in time for the night train,” he answered. “All right.... I shall see you again, shan’t I, Cathie?” “We shall be back in half an hour,” he said curtly. When they were out of Helen’s hearing Catherine said: “Who told you I had to be back in town to-night?” “I told myself,” he replied. “I insist upon your going back to-night.” “And supposing I don’t?” “I can only ask you,” he replied, somewhat subdued, “to avoid making things unnecessarily unpleasant.” “Things need not be at all unpleasant,” she cried passionately, “if only you weren’t such a brute.” She had not meant to say this. He smiled a trifle cynically. “Do you really think I’m a brute?” he asked. “There are lots of others who would agree with you,” he added encouragingly. “I certainly think you are,” she replied, determined to uphold her statement. “Wasn’t it brutal to say you wanted to get rid of me?” “But it was true.” “Was it?” “Quite!” “Really?” “If you only knew--Look here: there are moments when, if I could have had you painlessly extracted, I would have done it. I would have strangled you with my own fingers if I had not kept control of them!” “And so, as I couldn’t be painlessly extracted, you extracted yourself, eh?” “Yes.” She laughed a trifle hysterically. “Was it painless?” she enquired archly. He swore under his breath. “It was not,” he replied curtly. Pause.... They were walking on the narrow ridge of the sea-wall, he in front and she a few paces behind. Neither could see the face of the other. The tide was coming in.... If they had not been busy with other matters they might have noticed the loveliness of the scene....