“Do you mean by that that you are going to be uncivil to him?”

“Yes!” shortly, and with decision.

“You will be cold to him?  To Tom?  To my own cousin?  Maurice, Maurice!  Think what you are doing!”

She has come close up to him.  Her charming face is uplifted to his.

“Think what you are doing,” returns he hoarsely.  He catches her hands.  “If you will swear to me that he is nothing to you—­nothing——­”

“He is my cousin,” says Tita, who hardly understands.

“Oh!” He almost flings her from him.  “There—­let it be as you will,” says he bitterly.  “It is you cousin—­your house.”

Tita grows very pale.

“That is ungenerous,” says she.

“I have all the faults, naturally.”  He goes towards the door, and then suddenly comes back and flings something upon the table before her.  “You once told me you were fond of rings,” says he.

The case has flown open, because of his passionate throwing of it, and an exquisite diamond and pearl ring lies displayed.  Tita springs to her feet.

“Oh, wait! Don’t go!  Oh, do stop!” cries she, in great distress. "Fancy your thinking of me when you were in town!  And what a lovely, lovely ring!  Oh!  Maurice—­I’m sorry.  I am indeed!”

She holds out her hands to him.  Rylton, still standing on the threshold of the door, looks back at her.

Is it an apology?  An admission that she has been wrong in her dealings with her cousin?  An open declaration that this night’s undignified proceedings are really being repented of?

He comes slowly back to her.

“If you are sorry——­” begins he.

“Oh, I am indeed.  And you must let me kiss you for this darling ring.  I know you hate me to kiss you—­but,” she flings her arms round him, “I really must do it now.”

Instinctively his arms close round her.  With a thoroughly astonished air, however, she wriggles herself free, and draws back from him.

“You have done your part beautifully,” says she, with a little soft grimace.  “You bore up wonderfully.  I’ll let you off next time as a consideration.”

“I don’t want to be let off,” says Rylton.

“There, that will do,” lifting her hand.  “And I am sorry—­remember that.”

“If you are,” says he, “you will promise me—­not to——­”

He has grown quite serious again.  He hardly knows how to put it into words, and therefore hesitates; but if only she will cease from her encouragement of her cousin——­

“Oh no—­never.  I shall never do it again,” says she earnestly.  “It was so—­so—­dreadful of me——­”

“If you see it now, I wonder you didn’t see it then,” says Rylton, a little stiffly; this sudden conversion brings all the past back to him.

“Well, but I didn’t see it then—­I always talk too fast.”

She hangs her pretty head.