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And when that spell slackened its hold there wedged into her mind a consciousness of the ht strove for mastery over her It was not herself or love that she loved, but a living man Suddenly he existed so clearly for her that she could see him, hear him, almost feel him Her whole soul, her very life cried out to him for protection, for salvation, for love, for fulfillment No denial, no doubt marred the white blaze of her realization From the instant that she had looked up into Jean Isbel's dark face she had loved him Only she had not known She bowed now, and bent, and hu beyond her ken Thought clung to the beginnings of her romance--to the three times she had seen him Every look, every word, every act of his returned to her now in the light of the truth Love at first sight! He had sworn it, bitterly, eloquently, scornful of her doubts And now a blind, sweet, shuddering ecstasy swayed her Hoeak and frail seeht for thisand fury and glory--her heart! It must burst or break Relentlessly hts whirled and emotion conquered her At last she quivered up to her knees as if lashed to action It seeentle and timid, was on her lips And her eyes closed and hot tears welled fros and the pine boughs of the trees Had she reached out to clasp him? Then hard and violent on her mouth and cheek and neck burned those other kisses of Isbel's, and with the flashing, stinging memory came the truth that now she would have bartered her soul for them Utterly she surrendered to the resistlessness of this love Her loss offro bold and rough men, had developed her for violent love It overthrew all pride, it engendered humility, it killed hate Ellen wiped the tears from her eyes, and as she knelt there she swept to her breast a fragrant spreading bough of pine needles "I'll go to him," she whispered "I'll tell him of--of my--my love I'll tell him to take me away--away to the end of the world--away from heah--before it's too late!"

It was a soleered hauntingly "Too late?" she whispered