"Or almost none. All his Majesty asks is that you refrain from taking any further part in this unhappy war." She paused and eyed him. Evander's face was unchanged. "No more than that?" he commented, so quietly that, reassured, she rippled on, volubly: "No more than that. We can be wed, dear love. We can go away together to France, Italy, where you please. I have always had a mind to see Italy. And when England is quiet again we can come home, come here and be happy." She felt as if she were flinging herself at his feet, shamelessly offering herself, to tempt him, to dazzle him, conquer him that way; to witch his promise out of him before he had time to think. Yet for all her vehemence there was a chill at her heart and a cloud seemed to hover over her sunny words. Unwillingly she looked away from him, but she held out her hands in appeal. "Hush, Brilliana!" The grave, sweet voice sounded on her ears as the knell of hope. But she faced him again with a useless, questioning glance. "Why talk of what cannot be?" Evander asked, sadly. Brilliana denied him feverishly. "What can be--what must be!" she cried. "The King has promised." "I am a soldier of the Parliament," Evander asserted. "I cannot abandon my cause." Brilliana almost screamed at him in her anger and despair. "You are a prisoner under sentence of death. If you die, what gain has the Parliament of you, and I must live a widowed woman." She was close to him now and very suddenly she flung her arms about him, clasping him to her, her eager face close to his. "Promise," she panted; "promise, dear love, promise. Your Parliament loses nothing, you gain your life, my love. Promise, promise!" Evander's flesh fought with his spirit, but his face was calm and the arms that yearned to enfold his lover lay by his side. He turned his face away lest he should kiss her on the mouth, and, kissing, surrender his soul. "I cannot," he said, as if from a great silence. He would not see the passionate, beautiful face; he sought to fix his mind upon the faces of those whose faithful soldier he was sworn. The girl unloosed her arms and swayed away from him, wild anger in her eyes. "Do you call this true love," she sneered, "that is so scrupulous?" "The truest love in the world," Evander answered, looking full at her. He could look at her now; he had no fear to fall. He was losing a joy beyond all thought, but at least he would die with a white soul. "Do you think it is nothing to me to die thus losing you? But you have served soldier; you have a soldier's spirit; you would not have me do other than I am doing. You do not understand my cause, to think it should be easy to persuade me from it. But if I were of the King's party and in such peril so tempted, would you wish me to abandon my royal master to win life or love?"