looking out of the window. His indignation grew as he looked at her.
"Connie," he said quietly. "About this Petrovitch business. I'm pretty angry about it, as you know perfectly well. I've made up my mind that you'll have to choose between me and that fellow, and choose here and now. You can't have us both. If you go out to dinner with Petrovitch to-morrow night or any other night, or have anything further to do with him, that's the end as far as I'm concerned. You won't see me again."
Connie came swiftly back from dreams of Petrovitch and seized Noel's arm.
"Noel! You can't mean that! You can't mean that you'd drop me—have nothing more to do with me? Oh, Noel!"
"I've said it and I mean it. It's up to you. If you have anything more to do with that bounder, I'll have nothing more to do with you. And that's flat."
She pleaded with him. He didn't understand Petrovitch. He didn't understand her. Ordinary rules didn't apply to him because he was a genius, nor to her because she loved him. If Noel were older
That was more than he could bear.
"That'll do, Connie. I'm not a fool. I've been
