She considered the depths of the fire a moment, and turned, looking at him dreamily, feeling how much older she was in the knowledge of the doubts of the world than the young, impulsive nature that looked out at her from such honest eyes. "Will you?" he asked, as she looked away again. She shook her head, in doubt as to an answer; but the good in her stirred by the good in him expressed itself in the quick pressure of thanks which her hand conveyed to him. "I am not the least in love," he said quickly. "What I say I say because—oh, I don’t know! I’m dissatisfied with myself. This thing has gotten below my skin. Life’s too rotten. I want you to believe in me—in my strength. You are sympathetic—_multa sympatica_. I don’t know; I hate to think of your fighting alone such a rotten hard fight." She nodded slowly, understanding perhaps better than he his thought, yet half won to his appeal already. She took his hand in both of hers, pressing it in emphasis from time to time, not looking at him, staring at something that formed before her eyes. "No one has ever spoken to me just like this," she said gently. "One thing I would never want to happen, Teddy—I would never want to hurt you! That is why I hesitate—why I am afraid. You are only a great big boy. You won’t understand me. I am very selfish—very worldly." "You are nothing of the sort," he said furiously, withdrawing his hand. "You may think so, but I know you better." She turned, amused; but her smile left her as she looked into his eyes. To her surprise, a feeling of unease came to her; she felt a new longing—to be for a moment quite childlike and helpless. "Don’t blunder into anything, Teddy," she answered, shaking her head, herself a little disturbed. "With some men I would not care. With you—yes, it would make me feel like a criminal to hurt you." He understood that she was warning him of the futility of expecting to find in her a woman. But if she had calculated, which she had not, on any move surer to arouse him, she could have found no better expedient. The impossibility implied, coupled with the impulsive generosity in her voice, made her a thousand times more desirable. He rose brusquely, and, standing with his back to the fire, looked down at the dramatic face, which the flames lighted with the flare of footlights. "There are certain things that we must understand together," he said with authority, obeying the instinct which told him that to succeed he must take the upper hand. Her eyebrows came together in a straight flight. "I have not hesitated to trust in you—you must in me. Tell me. You have reason to suspect that Mrs. Bloodgood took the ring—at least, the first time?" [Illustration: "’I have not hesitated to trust in you—you must in me’"] She shook her head, but without anger. "Don’t you understand," he said quickly, "that I must know why you acted as you did?" Still her only answer was a deep-taken breath.