In Eve's dark room, where Nana still stood fatly and hopelessly expostulating, and Eve pretended to sleep, he spoke roughly,-- 'You lied to me as usual. He is here by appointment. He is waiting. I told him you would not keep him waiting long. You must get up.' 'I shall do nothing of the sort. What right have you to dictate to me?' 'You're making Mathter Julian croth--and he tho thweet-tempered alwayth,' said Nana's warning voice. 'Does she usually behave like this, Nana?' 'Oh, Mathter Julian, it'th dreadful--and me alwayth thaving her from her mother, too. And loothing all her thingth, too, all the time. I can't keep anything in it'th plathe. Only three dayth ago the lotht a diamond ring, but the never cared. The Thpanith gentleman thent it to her, and the never thanked him, and then lotht the ring. And the never notithed or cared. And the getth dretheth and dretheth, and won't put them on twith. And flowerth and chocolathes thent her--they all thpoil her tho--and the biteth all the chocolathes in two to thee what'th inthide, and throwth them away and thayth the dothn't like them. That exathperating, the ith.' 'Leave her to me, Nannie.' 'Mith Naughtineth,' said Nana, as she left the room. They were alone. 'Eve, I am really angry. That old man!' She turned luxuriously on to her back, her arms flung wide, and lay looking at him. 'You are very anxious that I should go to him. You are not very jealous of me, are you, Julian?' 'Why does he come?' he asked curiously. 'You never told me....' 'There are a great many things I never tell you, my dear.' 'It is not my business and I am not interested,' he answered, 'but he has come a long way in the heat to see you, and I dislike your callousness. I insist upon your getting up.' She smiled provokingly. He dropped on his knees near her. 'Darling, to please me?' She gave a laugh of sudden disdain. 'Fool! I might have obeyed you; now you have thrown away your advantage.' 'Have I?' he said, and, slipping his arm beneath her, he lifted her up bodily. 'Where shall I put you down?' he asked, standing in the middle of the room and holding her. 'At your dressing-table?' 'Why don't you steal me, Julian?' she murmured, settling herself more comfortably in his grasp. 'Steal you? what on earth do you mean? explain!' he said. 'Oh, I don't know; if you don't understand, it doesn't matter,' she replied with some impatience, but beneath her impatience he saw that she was shaken, and, flinging one arm round his neck, she pulled herself up and kissed him on the mouth. He struggled away, displeased, brotherly, and feeling the indecency of that kiss in that darkened room, given by one whose thinly-clad, supple body he had been holding as he might hold a child's. 'You have a genius for making me angry, Eve.'