“You’ve said enough!” she hissed through her clenched teeth. “I have lowered myself to you as I would to no other man living, only to be scorned and humiliated. God!” she laughed wildly, hysterically, and threw herself face downward upon the ottoman. “Fool, fool!” she cried with bitter self-abasement. “How I hate and despise myself for what I have done; would I had died before I had uttered such damning words,” and she beat her jeweled hands frantically against the cushions. “I beseech you to be careful, Lady Glencairn,” cried Robert in amazed alarm, going to her. She turned on him fiercely. “You, of all men, posing as a model of virtue and goodness, prating of husband’s honor, wife’s duty.” She measured him with a scornful, sneering glance of fury. “You, who have the name of making love to every female in petticoats who crosses your path, you hypocrite!” Robert fixed his eyes upon her in silence and the utter scorn of the look stung her heart to its center. Presently he controlled his anger sufficiently to be able to speak, and still eying her with that straight, keen look of immeasurable disdain, he said in cold, deliberate accents, “Your ladyship has been misinformed as to my past conduct. I do not claim to be more than human, but I know my name is as yet clear from the taint of dishonor.” “You poor fool, you country yokel!” she stormed furiously, walking up and down between him and the door like a caged lioness. “Did you think you could scorn such a woman as I with impunity? Do you think I will stand the humiliation of being repulsed, despised, shamed? I tell you no, no, never; ’tis but a step from love to hate, you should know that.” She paused in her nervous walking and stood facing him, her eyes ablaze with the uttermost anger, her beautiful figure drawn rigidly erect. “You shall be made to feel the depth of my hatred before long, Robert Burns,” she threatened, and there came a dangerous gleam in the flashing, dark eyes. “I shall leave Edinburgh within the hour,” replied Robert quietly. Was there ever such another unfortunate being as himself? he thought grimly, and a wave of unutterable sadness rushed over him. “Aye, that you will,” retorted her ladyship with a sneering, bitter laugh. “But not as you anticipate, with the plaudits of the world ringing in your ears. Instead of that, only contemptuous silence will greet your departure as you leave here in shame and disgrace, and when you have sunk once more into poverty and oblivion, you will repent bitterly ever having made an enemy of Alice Glencairn.” As these words left her lips, she swept haughtily past him like an outraged queen and left the room, leaving him standing there like one in a trance.