"Yes," he laughed. "I'm sorry to cut the governor adrift, but
he'll have to get along without our help."

Despite his jocularity he was deeply moved. As the situation grew
clearer to him he saw that this girl was about to change the whole
current of his careless life; her unexpected firmness, her gentle,
womanly determination at this crisis was very grateful--he
desperately longed to retain its support--and yet the arrangement
to which she had forced his consent went sorely against his grain.
His struggle had not been easy. Her surrender to him was as
complete and as unselfish as his own acquiescence seemed unmanly
and weak. He rose and paced the little room to relieve his
feelings. Days and weeks of almost constant dissipation had
affected his mental poise quite as disastrously as the strain of
the past twenty-four hours had told upon his physical control, and
he was shaking nervously. He paused at the sideboard finally and
poured himself a steadying drink.

Lorelei watched his trembling fingers fill the glass before she
spoke.

"You mustn't touch that," she said, positively.

"Eh?" He turned, still frowning absent-mindedly. "Oh, this?" He
held the glass to the light. "You mean you want me to begin--NOW?
A fellow has to sober up gradually, my dear. I really need a jolt--
I'm all unstrung."

"I sealed the bargain."