carriage door and imperiously motioned Diana to enter.

"Come, my goddess, let us fly!" said he, soft-voiced and smiling. But
as he approached her, she tossed aside her basket, stooped, and I saw
the evil glitter of her little knife; the gentleman merely laughed
softly and made deliberately towards her; then, as she crouched to
spring, I scrambled to my feet.

"Don't!" I cried. "Don't! Not you, Diana! Throw me your knife--leave
him to me--"

At this the gentleman paused to glance from Diana to me and back
again.

"Aha, Diana, is it?" said he. "You'll be worth the taming--another
time, chaste goddess! Venus give you to my arms some day! Here's for
your torn coat, my sorry Endymion!" Saying which, he tossed a guinea
to me and, stepping into the carriage, closed the door. The staring
groom mounted, the horses pranced, but, as the carriage moved off, I
snatched up the coin and, leaping forward, hurled it through the open
window into the gentleman's pale, smiling face.

"Damn you!" I panted. "God's curse on you--I'll see you dead--some
day!" And then the carriage was gone and I, gasping and trembling,
stood appalled at the wild passion of murderous hate that surged
within me. And in this awful moment, sick with horrified amaze since I
knew myself a murderer in my soul, I was aware that Diana had picked
up my new hat whence it had fallen and was tenderly wiping the dust
from it.