Alathea was crying.
A soft continued moaning as of one in resigned distress. I could hardly bear it. I could hardly prevent myself from opening the door and going to her to comfort her.
My darling, darling little girl!
Flight was my only resource. So I left her to her tears, and returned to my bed, and when I was safely there and could think, a wild sense of triumph and power and satisfaction filled me! The weight, which all the evening her marvelous self-control had been able to make me feel, lifted from my heart, and I rejoiced!
Is it possible that the primitive instinct of the joy of conquest could make of me such a brute!
It gave me pleasure to know that my little love suffered!
The sooner would she belong to me—quite!