"And if I refuse?"
He came and caught her by the arm, his face blazing with sudden passion.
"Do not dare to do that! Don't you understand the matter? You are in my power—in my power absolutely. I can hand you over to the police whenever I will."
"That will not be such a hardship. I said I was going back."
"Bah! If I tell them that I caught you, that you begged me to let you get away—that you even said you would marry me, if I would aid you, what then? Everybody will think you guilty, and Raymond Case will never come near you again."
"You—you monster!"
"Perhaps I am a monster when aroused. You had better think this matter over."
"I do not want to think it over. My mind is made up. I shall never marry you, never, no matter what happens. I loathe and despise you!"
There was a moment of silence, and his dark face turned a sickly white and then red. He breathed heavily through his set teeth.
"You mean that?" he said finally, his eyes shining like those of a serpent.