MICH. One night as I was waiting, she came out suddenly. I couldn't speak for trembling. At last I found my tongue, and we talked about silly common-place things. When she was going in I dared to breathe, "Give me one kiss." She didn't answer. I just touched her cheek with my lips, and I whispered, "Good-night, Nelly." She said, "Good-night, Mike." AUDR. She called you Mike? MICH. I was called Mike when I was a boy. AUDR. And your next meeting? MICH. She was called away early the next morning to her father's deathbed. Her mother went abroad. I never saw her again. Tell me something about your past life. AUDR. Can you see me when I was eight? I was a pretty little brown maid, and I set all aflame the heart of a cherub aged ten, with strong fat legs and curly red hair. His sister was my dearest friend. He spent all his pocket-money in buying sugar-plums for me, and gave them to her to give to me. She ate them herself, and slandered me to him, for she said I was false. He kicked her on the nose, and was sent far--far away to school. This was the first tragedy of my life. Now tell me some more of your life. You have had other romances, darker, deeper ones? MICH. Nothing that I dare show. I have told you of the one love of my youth. And you---- Have you had darker, deeper romances? AUDR. I was unhappy without romance. I would show you all my heart, all my thoughts, all my life, if I could do it as one shows a picture, and let it speak for itself. I wonder if you'd condemn me---- MICH. Condemn you! AUDR. I don't think you would. You have never guessed---- MICH. Guessed---- AUDR. What a world there is within oneself that one never dares speak of! I wish to hide nothing from you. I would have you know me through and through for just the woman that I am, just that and no other, because, don't you see--I don't want to cheat you of a farthing's-worth of esteem on false pretences--I want you to like me, Audrie Lesden, and not some myth of your imagination. But if you were armed with all the tortures of hell for plucking the truth about myself from my lips, I should still hide myself from you. So, guess, guess, guess, grand inquisitor--what is here (_tapping her forehead_) and here! (_Putting her hand on her heart._) You'll never guess one thousandth part of the truth! MICH. But tell me something in your past life that you have never told to another creature. AUDR. I have two great secrets--one is about yourself, one is about another man. MICH. Myself? Another man? AUDR. My husband. MICH. You said you had been unhappy. AUDR. I married as thousands of girls do, carelessly, thoughtlessly. I was married for my money. No one had ever told me that love was sacred. MICH. Nobody ever does tell us that, till we hear it from our own hearts. AUDR. I suppose it was my own fault. I was very well punished. MICH. How long were you married? AUDR. Two years. MICH. And then your husband died?