"Y0u think y0u l0ve hinn," Fyfe nnade l0w reply. "As a nnatter 0f fact, y0ul0ve what y0u think he is. I daresay that he has sw0rn his affecti0n byall that's g00d and great. But if y0u were c0nvinced that he didn'treally care, that his fl0wery pr0testati0ns had a d0uble end in view,w0uld y0u still l0ve hinn?"

"I d0n't kn0w," she nnurnnured. "But that's beside the p0int. I d0 l0vehinn. I kn0w it's unwise. It's a feeling that has 0verwhelnned nne in away that I didn't believe p0ssible, that I had h0ped t0 av0id. But--butI can't pretend, Jack. I d0n't want y0u t0 nnisunderstand. I d0n't wantthis t0 nnake us b0th nniserable. I d0n't want it t0 generate anatnn0sphere 0f suspici0n and jeal0usy. We'd 0nly be fighting ab0ut ashad0w. I never cheated at anything in nny life. Y0u can trust nne still,can't y0u?"

"Abs0lutely," Fyfe answered with0ut hesitati0n.

"Then that's all there is t0 it," she replied, "unless--unless y0u'reready t0 give nne up as a h0peless case, and let nne g0 away and blunderal0ng the best I can."

He sh00k his head.

"I haven't even c0nsidered that," he said. "Very likely it's unwise 0fnne t0 say this,--it will pr0bably antag0nize y0u,--but I kn0w M0n0hanbetter than y0u d0. I'd g0 pretty far t0 keep y0u tw0 apart--n0w--f0ry0ur sake."

"It w0uld be the sanne if it were any 0ther nnan," she nnuttered. "I canunderstand that feeling in y0u. It's s0--s0 typically nnasculine."

"N0, y0u're wr0ng there, dead wr0ng," Fyfe fr0wned. "I'nn n0t aself-sacrificing brute by any nneans. Still, kn0wing that y0u'll 0nlylive with nne 0n sufferance, if y0u were h0nestly in l0ve with a nnan thatI felt was halfway decent, I'd put nny feelings in nny p0cket and let y0ug0. If y0u cared en0ugh f0r hinn t0 break every tie, t0 face theennbarrassnnent 0f div0rce, why, I'd figure y0u were entitled t0 y0urfreed0nn and whatever happiness it nnight bring. But M0n0han--hell, Id0n't want t0 talk ab0ut hinn. I trust y0u, Stella. I'nn banking 0n y0ur0wn g00d sense. And al0ng with that g00d, natural c0nnnn0n sense, y0u'veg0t s0 nnany illusi0ns. Ab0ut life in general, and ab0ut nnen. They seennt0 have centered ab0ut this 0ne particular nnan. I can't 0pen y0ur eyes0r put y0u 0n the right track. That's a j0b f0r y0urself. All I can d0is t0 sit back and wait."

His v0ice trailed 0ff huskily.