Again he paused, but she said nothing. She was listening with her steadfast eyes upon him. "But you kept me at a distance," he said, "and I couldn't help myself. That was the maddening part of it. Lucas knew even then--or suspected. But he didn't interfere. He saw you were taming me. And so you were--so you were. But that thrashing upset everything. It drove me mad. I was crazy for revenge. Lucas made me go away, but I couldn't stay. I was like a man possessed. My hatred for your husband had swamped my love for you. You have got to know it, Anne; I am like that. I wanted to wreak my vengeance on him through you, because I knew--by then--that I had somehow reached your heart. And so I came to you--I saw you--and then I couldn't do it. Your love--I suppose I may call it that?--barred the way. It was your safeguard. You trusted me, and for that I wanted to fall down and worship you. But you sent me away--I had to go. You made a man of me. I lived a clean life because of you. I was your slave. I believe I should have remained so if your husband had died then. But the knowledge that he was coming back to you was too much for me. I couldn't stand that. I broke free." He stopped suddenly and brought his clenched fist down upon the rail as if physical pain were a relief to his soul. "I needn't go into what happened then," he said. "You saw me at my worst, and--you conquered me. You drove me out of your stronghold, and you locked the door. I don't know even now how you did it. None but a good woman would have dared. Do you know, when I came to my senses and knew what I had done, knew that I'd insulted you, killed your trust--your love, made you despise me, I nearly shot myself? It was Dot who kept me from that. She guessed, I suppose. And I went away--I went right away into the Rockies--and fought my devils there. I came back saner than you have ever known me, to hear that you were free. Can you believe that I actually told myself that you were mine--mine for the winning? I stretched out my hands to you across half the world, and I felt as if wherever you were I had somehow managed to reach and touch you. It was exactly a year from the day I had first met you." "Ah, I remember!" Anne said, her voice quick with pain; but she did not tell him what she remembered.