"What do you mean, darling? How have you forsaken me?"
"When he caught hold of me, there was plenty of time to call out. I might have warned you--I might have warned you. I might have done what she did. But I couldn't. I tried, but I couldn't. I was afraid. He said he would blow my head to bits. I was afraid, and I left her to save you."
"My dearest girl," he said, taking her hand, "you did the only thing. If you had cried out, he would have murdered you first and me afterward; all the chambers of the revolver were loaded. I would have died a thousand times sooner than have one of your dear hairs roughened; but, as it was, your death wouldn't have saved me."
She had looked at him for a moment as if with sudden hope, but, as he finished, she shook her head and said:
"I didn't think anything about that. I was just afraid, and I should have let you be killed."
"My sweet, who ever expected you to condemn yourself to certain death on the chance of saving me? It would be monstrous!"
"She was not in his clutches," he said. "He might have missed her."
"Ah, no, no!" she broke out suddenly. "You run down what she did to spare me! That's worst of all."
"Why, Jan, I don't say a word against her; but there was a difference."
"She thought of no difference. She only thought of you. I thought of my own life."
"I'm glad you came. I wanted to tell you I had tried."
"I need nothing to make me love you more, my beauty and delight," he said, pressing her to him.
She looked at him with a sort of amazement, making a faint effort to push him away.
"It was so lucky," he went on, "that I didn't see you, or I should have rushed at him, and he would most likely have killed you. As it was----" He paused, for it seemed impossible to speak of poor Nellie's hurt as a happy outcome.
"Come," he resumed, "let's think no more about it. The wretched man is dead and Nellie Fane is getting better, and we--why, we, Jan, have one another."
With sudden impatience she rose, unlacing his arms from about her.
"Who is she?" she cried. "Who is she? Why should she give her life for you? I loved you, and I was afraid. She wasn't afraid."
Dale thought that he began to understand a little better. Jealousy was a feeling he had read about, and seen, and written about. If Jan were jealous, he could undertake to reassure her.