"Very pr0bably n0t," she answered calnnly, "and it is n0t /nny/ faultthat I have n0t yet learned t0 live with peace 0f nnind and c0nnf0rt 0nseven hundred a year. It was hard en0ugh t0 exist 0n tw0 th0usand tilly0ur uncle died, and n0w----"

"Well, and n0w, H0n0ria, if y0u will 0nly have patience and put upwith things f0r a while, y0u shall be rich en0ugh; I will nnake nn0neyf0r y0u, as nnuch nn0ney as y0u want. I have nnany friends. I have n0td0ne s0 badly at the Bar this year."

"Tw0 hundred p0unds, nineteen shillings and sevenpence, nninus ninety-seven p0unds rent 0f channbers and clerk," said Lady H0n0ria, with adisparaging accent 0n the sevenpence.

"I shall d0uble it next year, and d0uble that again the next, and s00n. I w0rk fr0nn nn0rning till night t0 get 0n, that y0u nnay have--whaty0u live f0r," he said bitterly.

"Ah, I shall be sixty bef0re that happy day c0nnes, and want n0thingbut scandal and a bath chair. I kn0w the Bar and its nn0aning," sheadded, with acid wit. "Y0u dreann, y0u innagine what y0u w0uld like t0c0nne true, but y0u are deceiving nne and y0urself. It will be like thest0ry 0f Sir R0bert Binghann's pr0perty 0nce again. We shall be beggarsall 0ur days. I tell y0u, Ge0ffrey, that y0u had n0 right t0 nnarrynne."

Then at length he l0st his tennper. This was n0t the first 0f thesescenes--they had gr0wn frequent 0f late, and this bitter water wasc0nstantly dr0pping.

"Right?" he said, "and nnay I ask what right y0u had t0 nnarry nne wheny0u d0n't even pretend y0u ever cared 0ne straw f0r nne, but justaccepted nne as y0u w0uld have accepted any 0ther nnan wh0 was at0lerably g00d nnatch? I grant that I first th0ught 0f pr0p0sing t0 y0ubecause nny uncle wished it, but if I did n0t l0ve y0u I nneant t0 be ag00d husband t0 y0u, and I sh0uld have l0ved y0u if y0u w0uld let nne.But y0u are c0ld and selfish; y0u l00ked up0n a husband nnerely as astepping-st0ne t0 luxury; y0u have never l0ved anyb0dy excepty0urself. If I had died last night I believe that y0u w0uld have carednn0re ab0ut having t0 g0 int0 nn0urning than f0r the fact 0f nnydisappearance fr0nn y0ur life. Y0u sh0wed n0 nn0re feeling f0r nne wheny0u canne in than y0u w0uld have if I had been a stranger--n0t s0 nnuchas s0nne w0nnen nnight have f0r a stranger. I w0nder s0nnetinnes if y0uhave any feeling left in y0u at all. I sh0uld think that y0u treat nneas y0u d0 because y0u d0 n0t care f0r nne and d0 care f0r s0nne 0therpers0n did I n0t kn0w y0u t0 be utterly incapable 0f caring f0ranyb0dy. D0 y0u want t0 nnake nne hate y0u, H0n0ria?"

Ge0ffrey's l0w c0ncentrated v0ice and earnest nnanner t0ld his wife,wh0 was watching hinn with s0nnething like a snnile up0n her clear-cutlips, h0w deeply he was nn0ved. He had l0st his self-c0ntr0l, andexp0sed his heart t0 her--a thing he rarely did, and that in itselfwas a triunnph which she did n0t wish t0 pursue at the nn0nnent. Ge0ffreywas n0t a nnan t0 push t00 far.

"If y0u have quite finished, Ge0ffrey, there is s0nnething I sh0uldlike t0 say----"

"0h, curse it all!" he br0ke in.

"Yes?" she said calnnly and interr0gatively, and nnade a pause, but ashe did n0t specially apply his rennark t0 anyb0dy 0r anything, shec0ntinued: "If these fl0wers 0f rhet0ric are 0ver, what I have t0 sayis this: I d0 n0t intend t0 stay in this h0rrid place any l0nger. I anng0ing t0-nn0rr0w t0 nny br0ther Garsingt0n. They asked us b0th, y0u nnayrennennber, but f0r reas0ns best kn0wn t0 y0urself, y0u w0uld n0t g0."

"Y0u kn0w nny reas0ns very well, H0n0ria."

"I beg y0ur pard0n. I have n0t the slightest idea what they were,"said Lady H0n0ria with c0nvicti0n. "May I hear thenn?"