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Rh stay. To put your hand on me. Not to stand—so. Dick, make your eyes kind to me again."

He took her arms and lifted her away resolutely.

"My dear girl," he said, "don't you think we've had enough of this? You don't expect me to change my mind once I've said a thing, do you?"

Then the savage roused in her. She charged him, with head down and hands clawing and white teeth snapping. The onslaught all but upset him, for he was unprepared, and for a few moments he needed to put out all his strength to master her. He had her by the wrists at last, and they faced each other; tall, straight and breathless, with white passionate faces and shut lips. Then, quite suddenly, Andree laughed.

"Dieu," she said. "You are the strong man. I think you might kill me."

"I wish I could," said Dick sincerely. Andree laughed again.

"I did never have done like you do to me," she said. "Even Robison he say, 'Cherie Andree. Bonne Andree.' Mais vous—! Viola! C'est tout le même devil in we two."

"Then you ought to know how to respect it. Will you go home?"

"Peste! I do not know." She looked at him in frank appreciation. At the brown, lean face—hard-fleshed, well-shaped, wind-tanned; at the set of the lips and the slightly-twitching thin nostrils; at the level eyes whence the pity was driven back. He was so entirely the man and the master that the animal simplicity in her obeyed him with actual pleasure in the obedience.

"Bien," she said, and glanced down at her wrists where his grip drove the colour from her skin. "Bien," she said again, and glanced up daringly to his face. "Kiss me now, Dick, and I will go."

She brought her mouth near. Her breath was sweet and milky as a cow's, and her red lips were parted like a child's. The storm had passed for the moment, but electricity was in the air yet. Dick felt it. And felt as he had felt before the intoxication of her beauty. And he let his lips stoop down to hers.

And then she flung her arms round his neck and so held