She rose, not quickly, but with a dignity which only accentuated her beauty.
"And you ran away with a weakling! You denied me for a puppet!"
"My lawful husband."
"Ah, yes, yes; lawful husbands in these parts are those who can take and hold…. As I shall take and hold." The Wastrel advanced.
"If you touch me I will kill you," said Ruth, grasping the scissors which lay beside the pencils—Hoddy's!
The Wastrel laughed, still advancing. "Fire! That was what drew me to you in the beginning. Well, kill me. Either we go forth together, or they shall bury me."
"Beast!"
For a little while they manoeuvred around the table. Suddenly the Wastrel took hold of the edge and flung the table aside. Even in this dread moment Ruth was conscious of a pathetic interest in the scattering pencils.
He reached for her, and she struck savagely. But with the skill of a fencer he met the blow and broke it, seizing the wrist.
"It looks as though, we should go together," he said, pulling her toward him.