Robert Kimberly

"I'll teach you who is master under this roof."

"How like the sweet first five years that sounds!"

He threw his cigar angrily away. "I knowexactly what's the matter with you. You have runaround with this lordly Kimberly till he has turnedyour head. Now you are going to stop it, nowand here!"

"Am I?"

"You are."

"Hadn't you better tell Mr. Kimberly that?"

"I will tell you, you are getting yourself talkedabout, and it is going to stop. Everybody istalking about you."

Alice threw back her head. "So? Where didyou hear that?"

"Lambert told me yesterday."

"I hope you were manly enough to defend yourwife. Where did you see Lambert?"

"I saw him in town."

"I shouldn't listen to silly gossip from Lambert, and I shouldn't see Lambert again."

"How long have you been adviser as to whomI had better or better not see?" askedMacBirney contemptuously.

"You will find me a good adviser on some pointsin your affairs, and that is one."

"If you value your advice highly, you shouldpart with it sparingly."

"I know what you value highly; and if RobertKimberly finds out you are consorting withLambert it will end your usefulness in hiscombinations very suddenly."

The thrust, severe in any event, was made keenerby the fact that it frightened him into rage."Since you come from a family that has made sucha brilliant financial showing-" he began.

"Oh, I know," she returned wearily, "but youhad better take care." He looked at his wifeastounded. "You have insulted me enough," sheadded calmly, "about the troubles of my father.The 'first five years' are at an end. I have spoiledyou, Walter, by taking your abuse so longwithout striking back and I won't do it any more."

"What do you mean?" he cried, springing fromhis chair. "Do you think you are to keep yourdoors bolted against me for six months at a timeand then browbeat and abuse me when I comeinto your room to talk to you? Who paid forthese clothes you wear?" he demanded, pointingin a fury.

"I try never to think of that, Walter," repliedAlice, rising to her feet but controlling herselfmore than she could have believed possible. "Itry never to think of the price I have paid foranything I have; if I did, I should go mad andstrip these rags from my shoulders."

She stood her ground with flashing eyes. "I,not you," she cried, "have paid for what I haveand the clothes I wear. I paid for them-notyou-with my youth and health and hopes andhappiness. I paid for them with the life of mylittle girl; with all that a wretched woman cansacrifice to a brute. Paid for them! God help me!How haven't I paid for them?"

She stopped for sheer breath, but before hecould find words she spoke again. "Now, I amdone with you forever. I am out of your powerforever. Thank God, some one will protect mefrom your brutality for the rest of my life-"

MacBirney clutched the back of a chair. "Soyou have picked up a lover, have you? Thissounds very edifying from my dear, dutiful, religious wife." Hardly able to form the wordsbetween his trembling lips, he smiled horribly.

She turned on him like a tigress. "No," shepanted, "no! I am no longer your religious wife.It wasn't enough that I should go shabby andhungry to make you rich. Because I still hadsomething left in my miserable life to help mebear your cruelty and meanness you must takethat away too. What harm did my religion doyou that you should ridicule it and sneer at it andthreaten and abuse me for it? You grudged thefew hours I took from your household drudgeryto get to church. You promised before youmarried me that our children should be baptized in myfaith, and then refused baptism to my dying baby."

Her words rained on him in a torrent. "Yourobbed me of my religion. You made me live incontinual sin. When I pleaded for children, youswore you would have no children. When I toldyou I was a mother you cursed and villified me."

"Stop!" he screamed, running at her with an oath.

The hatred and suffering of years werecompressed into her moment of revolt. They flamedin her cheeks and burned in her eyes as she criedout her choking words. "Stop me if you dare!"she sobbed, watching him clench his fist. "If youraise your hand I will disgrace you publicly, now,to-night!"

He struck her. She disdained even to protectherself and crying loudly for Annie fell backward.Her head caught the edge of the table from whichshe had risen.

Annie ran from the bedroom at the sound ofher mistress's voice. But when she opened theboudoir door, Alice was lying alone andunconscious on the floor.

CHAPTER XXX

She revived only after long and anxiousministrations on Annie's part. But with thereturn of her senses the blood surged again in herveins in defiance of her husband. Her firstthought was one of passionate hatred of him, and the throbbing pain in her head from her fallagainst the table served to sharpen her resentment.

MacBirney, possessed of enough craft to slipaway from an unpleasant situation, returned earlyto town, only hoping the affair would blow over, and still somewhat dazed by the amazingrebellion of an enduring wife.

He realized that a storm might break now atany moment over his head. Always heavilycommitted in the speculative markets, he wellunderstood that if Kimberly should be roused tovengeance by any word from Alice the consequencesto his own fortune might be appalling.

It chanced that Kimberly was away the followingday and Alice had twenty-four hours to let herwrath cool. Two days of reflection were enough.The sense of her shame and her degradation as awoman at the hands of a man so base as herhusband were alone enough to suggest moderation inspeaking to Kimberly of the quarrel.

But more than this was to be considered. Whatwould Kimberly do if she told him everything?A scandalous encounter, even a more seriousissue between the two men was too much tothink of. She felt that Kimberly was capable inanger of doing anything immoderate and it wasbetter by far, her calmer judgment told her, tobury her humiliation in her own heart than torisk something worse. She was now, she wellknew, with this secret, a terror to her cowardlyhusband, just as he had been, through a nightmareof wretched years, her own terror.

For the first time, on the afternoon of the secondday, she found herself awaiting with burningimpatience some word from The Towers. She hadresolved what to say to Kimberly and wanted nowto say it quickly. When the telephone bell rangpromptly at four o'clock her heart dilated withhappiness; she knew the call came from one whonever would fail her. Alice answered the bellherself and her tones were never so maddeningin Kimberly's ears as when she told him, notonly that he might come, but that she was wearywith waiting. She stood at the window whenhis car drove up and tripped rapidly downstairs.When she greeted him he bent down to kiss her hand.

She did not resist his eagerness. She even drewa deep breath as she returned his look, and havingmade ready for him with a woman's lovely cunning, enjoyed its reward.

"I've been crazy to see you," he cried. "It istwo days, Alice. How can I tell you how lovelyyou are?"

Her eyes, cast down, were lifted to his when shemade her confession. "Do you really like thisrig? It is the first toilet I ever made with thethought of nobody but you in my head. So Itold Annie" she murmured, letting her hand reston his coat sleeve, "to be sure I was exactly right."

He caught her hands.

"Let's go into the garden," she said as he heldthem. "I have something to say to you."

They sat down together. "Something hashappened since I saw you," she began.

"Has the break come?" demanded Kimberly instantly.

"We had a very painful scene night before last,"said Alice. "The break has come. He has goneto town-he went yesterday morning. I haveasked myself many questions since then. Myfather and mother are dead. I have no home togo to, and I will not live even under the sameroof with him any longer. I feel so strange. Ifeel turned out, though there was nothing of thatin what he said-indeed, I am afraid I did mostof the talking."

"I wish to God I had heard you!"

"It is better not. Every heart knoweth its ownbitterness-"

"Let me help bear yours."

"I feel homeless, I feel so alone, so ashamed-Idon't know what I don't feel. You will neverknow what humiliation, what pain I have beenthrough for two days. Robert-" her voice falteredfor an instant. Then she spoke on, "I never cantell you of the sickness and shame I have long feltof even pretending to live with some one I couldnot respect."

"Close the book of its recollection. I cameinto your life for just such a moment, to beeverything you need. I am home, husband, andprotection-everything."

"If I could only make my senses believe myears." She paused. "It seems as if I am in adream and shall wake with a horror."