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 When I got home, Fidelia had heard from Bolton; and she wanted to go to him."

"Had heard, David? How?"

"By letter."

"You mean he'd written to look her up?"

"No; he'd written in answer to a letter of hers."

"Looking him up, David?"

"Yes; something like that."

"You knew that when we were in Rock Island, David? That's why you came to—Rock Island, because Fidelia'd written to look up her husband?"

"No," said David. "I didn't know anything about it, Alice." And then, gazing at him, she understood. She said, "You mean you never knew anything about her husband at all?"

"Not till I got back that night."

"The night she left you to go to him."

David arose and went a few steps away. He came back and gazing down at her dark hair and her sweet, upturned face and into her blue eyes, he said, "You know the truth of it now. I'm discarded goods."

"You've never been discarded by me!"

He jerked up and filled his breast with a deep, violent breath and in a moment he asked, "Shall I take you to your party?"

"I can't dance with them now."

"Would you—dance with me?"

"Dance!" she said and she quivered with remembrance of their last dance together when he was going to Fidelia and she was trying to hold him from Fidelia and when he, having her in his arms, had felt