She felt within her the beginnings of many fierce emotions--despair, blinding anger, a fierce unreasoning desire for revenge, a revolt against the forces that had tricked her. But these slumbering points of fire did not leap up instantly. The shock that suddenly had arrested her very being, seemed to have arrested the operation of her sensibilities: they did not respond--they were numbed. The realization was staggering. She could not meet it; she rejected it, striving to send it from her. She felt hurt, horribly, weakly hurt; but she did not wish to acknowledge what had happened. She only knew, in a groping way, that something horrible had suddenly fallen on her out of a clear sky--something that meant the end of all things, the lurking tragedy in her life: something that she would, perhaps, never, never live down! All at once she began to talk, looking at Sassoon with a dangerous provoking light in her eyes, her cheeks unnaturally flushed, reckless and defiant. "Poor Mr. Sassoon! Ida, look at him. Did you ever see a man so miserable? He's furious at me. He was counting on such a confidential, intimate little luncheon! It really is a shame to play him such a trick! But I warned him--I always play fair. I told him he was no match for us!" She laughed at his puzzled expression, rushing on: "Really, though, you should conceal your feelings better. You should learn from women. We never show what we feel!" Did she show what was tearing at her heart? She wondered. She did not care! There was nothing but injustice in the world. What had she done to deserve such a blow? If she had to suffer, others should suffer too! Sassoon's eyes were lighting up, tantalized by this frantic savagery in the woman. She saw the look, and laughed at it, knowing the bitterness she had reserved for him. Now she was scarcely polite to him, mocking him to his face, eagerly awaking within him the demons of covetousness and revenge. "What has happened to her?" thought Ida, watching her anxiously. "Pretty little devil, she'll pay for this!" thought Sassoon, blinking at her, his arms before him, rubbing the back of his soft hands with his quiet, combustibly patient gesture. "Ah, there's Mr. Blood at last!" Dodo cried, all at once. "Now it will be more amusing!" She waited tremulously the meeting of the two men--these two who should pay so dear to her what she had received in injustice. Sassoon did not rise. He shot a searching angry glance at Doré, closed one hand tightly over the other and raised his eyebrows in interrogation at the newcomer. "Quarter of three," said Blood, standing, and barely nodding to Sassoon. "I've been waiting fifteen minutes--that's quite enough. Miss Baxter, you belong to me now!" "Oh, is it as late as that?" "Is Mr. Blood here on your invitation, Miss Baxter?" said Sassoon deliberately. "Yes. We had an engagement for a ride up the river. I'm afraid I've kept him waiting." "Turn about is fair play," said Harrigan Blood aggressively.