Page:The woman, the man, and the monster (IA womanmanmonster00dawe).pdf/274

 He smiled. “Why doesn’t she denounce me?”

“How could any modest woman

But Brenton cut him short with a harsh laugh.

“Modest woman! So you are still fool enough to use that worn-out cliché. Shall I tell you something about this ‘modest woman,’ this modest ? She was all that before I married her. I admit her feminine attractions; they are many, they fascinated me. I did not care what she had been; I did not stay to think. I only knew that I wanted her, wanted her madly; and she played her game to perfection. Oh, the cunning of her, the supreme insolence! But how to turn black white? Her end achieved there was less cause for subterfuge. Train a tiger to lie down with a lamb; by taking thought transfer the leopard’s spots. This was my task. . . . When a woman is like that no power on earth can save her. It is like drink or drugs—hopeless; the — end inevitable. I did all in my power. I have beaten her.”

“Beaten her! You dog!”

Andromeda beaten! The blood surged to