"Mr. Bines--how absurd! Oh! let me go! You're hurting my wrist! Oh!--don't--don't--don't! Oh!" When he felt the slender wrist trying to writhe from his grasp he had closed upon it more tightly, and thrusting his other arm quickly behind her, had drawn her closely to him. Her cries and pleadings were being smothered down on his breast. Her struggles met only the unbending, pitiless resistance of steel. "Don't waste time, I tell you--can't you understand? Be sensible,--talk if you must--only talk sense." "Let me go at once--I demand it--quick--oh!" "Take this hat off!" He forced the wrist he had been holding down between them, so that she could not free the hand, and, with his own hand thus freed, he drew out the two long hat-pins and flung the hat with its storm-tossed cherries across the room. Still holding her tightly, he put the free hand on her brow and thrust her head back, so that she was forced to look up at him. "Let me see you--I want to see your eyes--they're my eyes now." Her head strained against his hand to be down again, and all her strength was exerted to be away. She found she could not move in any direction. "Oh, you're hurting my neck. What _shall_ I do? I can't scream--think what it would mean!--you're hurting my neck!" "You are hurting your _own_ neck--stop it!" He kissed her face, softly, her cheeks, her eyes, her chin. "I've loved you so--don't--what's the use? Be sensible. My arms have starved for you so--do you think they're going to loosen now? Avice Milbrey--Avice Milbrey--Avice Milbrey!" His arms tightened about her as he said the name over and over. "That's poetry--it's all the poetry there is in the world. It's a verse I say over in the night. You can't understand it yet--it's too deep for you. It means I must have you--and the next verse means that you must have me--a poor man--be a poor man's wife--and all the other verses--millions of them--mean that I'll never give you up--and there's a lot more verses for you to write, when you understand--meaning that you'll never give _me_ up--and there's one in the beginning means I'm going to carry you out and marry you to-night--_now_, do you understand?--right off--this very night!" "Oh! Oh! this is so terrible! Oh, it's _so_ awful!" Her voice broke, and he felt her body quiver with sobs. Her face was pitifully convulsed, and tears welled in her eyes. "Let me _go_--let--me--_go_!" He released her head, but still held her closely to him. Her sobs had become uncontrollable. "Here--" he reached for the little lace-edged handkerchief that lay beside her long gloves and her purse, on the table. She took it mechanically. "Please--oh, _please_ let me go--I beg you." She managed it with difficulty between the convulsions that were rending her. He put his lips down upon the soft hair. "I _won't_--do you understand that? Stop talking nonsense." He thought there would be no end to the sobs. "Have it out, dear--there's plenty of time."