"Wants you to go away and live with him! But surely, Esther, you do not----" "Yes, he wants me to go and live with him, so that his wife can get a divorce," Esther answered, for the suspense irritated her; "and how can I refuse to go with him?" "Esther, are you serious? You cannot... You told me that you did not love him, and after all----" He waited for Esther to speak. "Yes," she said very quickly, "there is no way out of it that I can see." "Esther, that man has tempted you, and you have not prayed." She did not answer. "I don't want to hear more of this," he said, catching up his hat. "I shouldn't have believed it if I had not heard it from your lips; no, not if the whole world had told me. You are in love with this man, though you may not know it, and you've invented this story as a pretext to throw me over. Good-bye, Esther." "Fred, dear, listen, hear me out. You'll not go away in that hasty way. You're the only friend I have. Let me explain." "Explain! how can such things be explained?" "That's what I thought until all this happened to me. I have suffered dreadful in the last few days. I've wept bitter tears, and I thought of all you said about the 'ome you was going to give me." Her sincerity was unmistakable, and Fred doubted her no longer. "I'm very fond of you, Fred, and if things had been different I think I might have made you a good wife. But it wasn't to be." "Esther, I don't understand. You need never see this man again if you don't wish it." "Nay, nay, things ain't so easily changed as all that. He's the father of my child, he's got money, and he'll leave his money to his child if he's made Jackie's father in the eyes of the law." "That can be done without your going to live with him." "Not as he wants. I know what he wants; he wants a 'ome, and he won't be put off with less." "How men can be so wicked as----" "No, you do him wrong. He ain't no more wicked than another; he's just one of the ordinary sort--not much better or worse. If he'd been a real bad lot it would have been better for us, for then he'd never have come between us. You're beginning to understand, Fred, ain't you? If I don't go with him my boy'll lose everything. He wants a 'ome--a real 'ome with children, and if he can't get me he'll go after another woman." "And are you jealous?" "No, Fred. But think if we was to marry. As like as not I should have children, and they'd be more in your sight than my boy." "Esther, I promise that----" "Just so, Fred; even if you loved him like your own, you can't make sure that he'd love you." "Jackie and I----" "Ah, yes; he'd have liked you well enough if he'd never seen his father. But he's that keen on his father, and it would be worse later on. He'd never be contented in our 'ome. He'd be always after him, and then I should never see him, and he would be led away into betting and drink."