Part 38 (1/2)
He leaned close:
”I'm afraid I'm not brave, Miss Betty. I ran with the rest of them yesterday, ran like a dog for my life”--he paused and caught his breath--”but I'm not sorry for it now. In the madness of that scramble to save my skin I had a sudden revelation of why life was sweet----”
He stopped and she scarcely breathed. Her heart seemed to cease beating.
Her dry lips refused to speak the question she would ask. The sweet moment of pain and of glory had come. She felt his trembling hand seize her ice-cold fingers as he went on impetuously:
”Life was sweet because--because--I love you, Betty.”
She sprang to her feet trembling from head to foot. He followed, whispering:
”My own, I love you--I love you----”
With sudden fierce strength he clasped her in his arms and covered her lips with kisses.
She lifted her trembling hands:
”Please--please----”
Again he smothered her words and held her in mad close embrace.
”Let me go--let me go!” she cried with sudden fury, thrusting him from her, breathless, her eyes blinded with tears.
”Tell me that you love me!” he cried with desperate pleading.
The splendid young figure faced him tense, quivering with rage.
”How dare you take me in your arms like that without a word?” Her eyes were flas.h.i.+ng, her breast rising and falling with quick furious breathing.
He seized her hand and held it with cruel force. Her eyes blazed and he dropped it. She was thinking of the scene with his slender chivalrous brother. She could feel the soft kiss on the tips of her fingers and the blood surged to her face at the thought of this man's lips pressed on hers in mad, strangling pa.s.sion without so much as by your leave! She could tear his eyes out.
He looked at her now in a hopeless stupor of regret.
”Forgive me, Betty,” he faltered. ”I--I couldn't help it.”
Her eyes held his in a cold stare:
”I suppose that's all any woman has ever meant to you, and you took me for granted----”
He lifted his hand in protest.
”Please, please, Miss Betty,” he groaned.
”You may go now,” she said with slow emphasis.
He looked at her a moment dazed, and a wave of sullen anger slowly mounted his face to the roots of his black tangled hair, which he suddenly brushed from his forehead.
Without a word he walked out into the storm, his jaws set. The door had scarcely closed, when the trembling figure crumpled on the lounge in a flood of bitter tears.