the charity funds, and finally the events leading up to her clandestine visit to Rao-Singh the night before and its tragic termination. She did not spare herself in the slightest but there was one point upon which she insisted with frantic emphasis—she had been guilty of no wrongdoing with Rao-Singh, she had never eared in the slightest for the Hindu, and whatever Dudley's attitude might be toward her from now on she would always love her husband.
"I don't expect you—to love me now—but—but please, please—believe me." And suddenly she broke down completely. She buried her pain-seared face in his lap and gave way to the sobs that racked her.
Dudley Drake was only human. He stared straight ahead of him at the brick wall opposite. Her whole life since she had left the apartment then had been a sham. She had deceived him at every turn, and it hurt him deeply. Her hat had fallen upon the concrete floor and he was stroking her dark mass of hair, muttering words of comfort without meaning them or knowing what he was doing. He had told her once that he believed their marriage a mistake, and he wondered if he hadn't made the biggest mistake of all in rushing in and sacrificing himself for her now that he had heard this heartbreaking confession.
