The Price She Paid [100]
I didn't dare quite strip myself. The note may not be worth the paper it's written on, but I hope--''
Before she could prevent him he took the two papers, and, holding them out of her reach, tore them to bits.
Her eyes gleamed angrily. ``I see you despise me --as much as I've invited. But, I'll make them out again and mail them to you.''
``You're a silly child,'' said he gruffly. ``We're going to be married.''
She eyed him with amused exasperation. ``It's too absurd!'' she cried. ``And if I yielded, you'd be trying to get out of it.'' She hesitated whether to tell him frankly just how she felt toward him. She decided against it, not through consideration--for a woman feels no consideration for a man she does not love, if he has irritated her--but through being ashamed to say harsh things to one whom she owed so much. ``It's useless for you to pretend and to plead,'' she went on. ``I shall not yield. You'll have to wait until I'm free and independent.''
``You'll marry me then?''
``No,'' replied she, laughing. ``But I'll be able to refuse you in such a way that you'll believe.''
``But you've got to marry, Mildred, and right away.'' A suspicion entered his mind and instantly gleamed in his eyes. ``Are you in love with someone else?''
She smiled mockingly.
``It looks as if you were,'' he went on, arguing with himself aloud. ``For if you weren't you'd marry me, even though you didn't like me. A woman in your fix simply couldn't keep herself from it. Is THAT why you're so calm?''
``I'm not marrying anybody,'' said she.
``Then what are you going to do?''
``You'll see.''
Once more the passionate side of his nature showed --not merely grotesque, unattractive, repellent, as in the mood of longing, but hideous. Among men Stanley Baird passed for a man of rather arrogant and violent temper, but that man who had seen him at his most violent would have been amazed. The temper men show toward men bears small resemblance either in kind or in degree to the temper of jealous passion they show toward the woman who baffles them or arouses their suspicions; and no man would recognize his most intimate man friend--or himself--when in that paroxysm. Mildred had seen this mood, gleaming at her through a mask, in General Siddall. It had made her sick with fear and repulsion. In Stanley Baird it first astounded her, then filled her with hate.
``Stanley!'' she gasped.
``WHO is it?'' he ground out between his teeth. And he seized her savagely.
``If you don't release me at once,'' said she calmly, ``I shall call Mrs. Brindley, and have you put out of the house. No matter if I do owe you all that money.''
``Stop!'' he cried, releasing her. ``You're very clever, aren't you?--turning that against me and making me powerless.''
``But for that, would you dare presume to touch me, to question me?'' said she.
He lowered his gaze, stood panting with the effort to subdue his fury.
She went back to her own room. A few hours later came a letter of apology from him. She answered it friendlily, said she would let him know when she could see him again, and enclosed a note and a check.
VIII
MILDRED went to bed that night proud of her strength of character. Were there many women-- was there any other woman she knew or knew about-- who in her desperate circumstances would have done what she had done? She could have married a man who would have given her wealth and the very best social position. She had refused him. She could have continued to ``borrow'' from him the wherewithal to keep her in luxurious comfort while she looked about at her ease for a position that meant independence. She had thrust the temptation from her. All this from purely high-minded motives; for other motive there could be none. She went to sleep, confident that on the morrow she would continue to tread the path of self- respect with unfaltering feet. But when morning came her throat was once more slightly off--enough to make it wise to postpone the excursion in search of a trial for musical comedy.
Before she could prevent him he took the two papers, and, holding them out of her reach, tore them to bits.
Her eyes gleamed angrily. ``I see you despise me --as much as I've invited. But, I'll make them out again and mail them to you.''
``You're a silly child,'' said he gruffly. ``We're going to be married.''
She eyed him with amused exasperation. ``It's too absurd!'' she cried. ``And if I yielded, you'd be trying to get out of it.'' She hesitated whether to tell him frankly just how she felt toward him. She decided against it, not through consideration--for a woman feels no consideration for a man she does not love, if he has irritated her--but through being ashamed to say harsh things to one whom she owed so much. ``It's useless for you to pretend and to plead,'' she went on. ``I shall not yield. You'll have to wait until I'm free and independent.''
``You'll marry me then?''
``No,'' replied she, laughing. ``But I'll be able to refuse you in such a way that you'll believe.''
``But you've got to marry, Mildred, and right away.'' A suspicion entered his mind and instantly gleamed in his eyes. ``Are you in love with someone else?''
She smiled mockingly.
``It looks as if you were,'' he went on, arguing with himself aloud. ``For if you weren't you'd marry me, even though you didn't like me. A woman in your fix simply couldn't keep herself from it. Is THAT why you're so calm?''
``I'm not marrying anybody,'' said she.
``Then what are you going to do?''
``You'll see.''
Once more the passionate side of his nature showed --not merely grotesque, unattractive, repellent, as in the mood of longing, but hideous. Among men Stanley Baird passed for a man of rather arrogant and violent temper, but that man who had seen him at his most violent would have been amazed. The temper men show toward men bears small resemblance either in kind or in degree to the temper of jealous passion they show toward the woman who baffles them or arouses their suspicions; and no man would recognize his most intimate man friend--or himself--when in that paroxysm. Mildred had seen this mood, gleaming at her through a mask, in General Siddall. It had made her sick with fear and repulsion. In Stanley Baird it first astounded her, then filled her with hate.
``Stanley!'' she gasped.
``WHO is it?'' he ground out between his teeth. And he seized her savagely.
``If you don't release me at once,'' said she calmly, ``I shall call Mrs. Brindley, and have you put out of the house. No matter if I do owe you all that money.''
``Stop!'' he cried, releasing her. ``You're very clever, aren't you?--turning that against me and making me powerless.''
``But for that, would you dare presume to touch me, to question me?'' said she.
He lowered his gaze, stood panting with the effort to subdue his fury.
She went back to her own room. A few hours later came a letter of apology from him. She answered it friendlily, said she would let him know when she could see him again, and enclosed a note and a check.
VIII
MILDRED went to bed that night proud of her strength of character. Were there many women-- was there any other woman she knew or knew about-- who in her desperate circumstances would have done what she had done? She could have married a man who would have given her wealth and the very best social position. She had refused him. She could have continued to ``borrow'' from him the wherewithal to keep her in luxurious comfort while she looked about at her ease for a position that meant independence. She had thrust the temptation from her. All this from purely high-minded motives; for other motive there could be none. She went to sleep, confident that on the morrow she would continue to tread the path of self- respect with unfaltering feet. But when morning came her throat was once more slightly off--enough to make it wise to postpone the excursion in search of a trial for musical comedy.