He was on his feet.
He was speaking urgently.
By every rule of self-esteem, he had to prove to her, and to himself, that it was her fault.
“I suppose maybe I’m kind of out of sorts to-night, but honest, honey, when I stayed away for a while to catch up on work and everything and figure out where I was at, you ought to have been cannier and waited till I came back.
Can’t you see, dear, when you MADE me come, I—being about an average bull-headed chump—my tendency was to resist?
Listen, dear, I’m going now—”
“Not for a while, precious!
No!”
“Yep.
Right now.
And then sometime we’ll see about the future.”
“What do you mean, dear, ‘about the future’?
Have I done something I oughtn’t to?
Oh, I’m so dreadfully sorry!”
He resolutely put his hands behind him.
“Not a thing, God bless you, not a thing.
You’re as good as they make ‘em.
But it’s just—Good Lord, do you realize I’ve got things to do in the world?
I’ve got a business to attend to and, you might not believe it, but I’ve got a wife and kids that I’m awful fond of!”
Then only during the murder he was committing was he able to feel nobly virtuous.
“I want us to be friends but, gosh, I can’t go on this way feeling I got to come up here every so often—”
“Oh, darling, darling, and I’ve always told you, so carefully, that you were absolutely free.
I just wanted you to come around when you were tired and wanted to talk to me, or when you could enjoy our parties—”
She was so reasonable, she was so gently right!
It took him an hour to make his escape, with nothing settled and everything horribly settled.
In a barren freedom of icy Northern wind he sighed,
“Thank God that’s over!
Poor Tanis, poor darling decent Tanis!
But it is over.
Absolute!
I’m free!”
CHAPTER XXXII I
HIS wife was up when he came in.
“Did you have a good time?” she sniffed.
“I did not.
I had a rotten time!
Anything else I got to explain?”
“George, how can you speak like—Oh, I don’t know what’s come over you!”
“Good Lord, there’s nothing come over me!
Why do you look for trouble all the time?”
He was warning himself,
“Careful!
Stop being so disagreeable.
Course she feels it, being left alone here all evening.”
But he forgot his warning as she went on:
“Why do you go out and see all sorts of strange people?
I suppose you’ll say you’ve been to another committee-meeting this evening!”
“Nope.
I’ve been calling on a woman.
We sat by the fire and kidded each other and had a whale of a good time, if you want to know!”