"Ha!" he stood before her, the light of combat in his eyes. "You decline to take presents from me--good! But you can't decline to do as I order you. I order you to wear two of those rings, one on your left hand and the other on your right. Choose quickly, or I will put them on your finger myself." She stood, and he could see how hard she found it to fight back words. In fact, she could not but realise that it would be madness to arouse the resentment of the extraordinary being whose motives she was quite unable to fathom; yet she made one effort to brave him. "I will not choose--I have no choice," said she, not glancing at the rings, but with her eyes on his face. He turned, scooped up the rings in one hand, laid the other on her arm just above the elbow, and said: "Come, I will help you to make a selection. There is a little room at the west corner of the house which I think you may like to consider yours. Let me show you." She went with him unprotesting, and tried to control the shuddering which his grip upon her arm caused her to experience. The room which they entered was evidently his own study. It was full of books and papers, untidy and dingy looking, like the haunts of most men where the housemaid is forbidden. Through this he passed by an inner door to a smaller room, with two windows--one south, one west. It was scantily furnished, but might have been pretty if artistically arranged. She glanced round. There _was_ a second door. A room which she could neither enter nor leave without passing through his would be a poor boon. He pushed her down upon a sofa, seated himself beside her, and laid the little pile of rings upon her knee. Without speaking, he took her left hand in his own, and began fitting the rings one after another. All were too large, except a fine half-hoop of emeralds. "That for the present," said he, "and we can have some others altered. Which do you like next best?" "I do not like to wear any of them," she answered faintly. His shoulder was touching her own, and her terror grew with each moment. "You are obstinate," he said, with a scowl. She shook her head. "It is not a question of what I like, so why pretend that it is? I will do anything that you say I must," she murmured, so low that he could hardly hear. "Well, then, I say you must choose another ring." She turned them over listlessly. "This," said she at last, taking a single diamond. "Good!" He gathered up the rest. Then, to her utter relief, he rose. "I will make it into a packet for the post," said he. "Oh! That reminds me!" She was suddenly eager. "Please tell me, have you a second post here?" "Yes. It will be in soon--about an hour's time." "Oh, I am glad!" A glow irradiated her wistful face. "Pansy promised to write; I thought she could not have forgotten." There was a break in her voice as she mentioned her little sister. "When does the post go out?" she went on.