You take them and keep them or they’ll just slip through my fingers.’
“ ‘No, no, she mustn’t have them,’ cried Madame Berger.
She gave Robert a look of real horror, so that I was astounded, then she turned to me. ‘Go and do your room.
I won’t have the rooms left unmade all day long.’
“I saw she wanted to get rid of me and I thought I’d be better out of the way if they were going to quarrel.
The position of a daughter-in-law is delicate.
His mother worshipped Robert, but he was extravagant and it worried her to death.
Now and then she made a scene.
Sometimes they’d shut themselves up in her pavilion at the end of the garden and I’d hear their voices raised in violent discussions.
He would come away sulky and irritable and when I saw her I knew she’d been crying.
I went upstairs.
When I came down again they stopped talking at once and Madame Berger told me to go out and buy some eggs for lunch.
Generally Robert went out about noon and didn’t come back till night, often very late, but that day he stayed in.
He read and played the piano.
I asked him what had passed between him and his mother, but he wouldn’t tell me, he told me to mind my own business.
I think neither of them spoke more than a dozen sentences all day.
I thought it would never end.
When we went to bed I snuggled up to Robert and put my arms round his neck, for of course I knew he was worried and I wanted to console him, but he pushed me away.
“ ‘For God’s sake leave me alone,’ he said.
‘I’m in no mood for love-making to-night.
I’ve got other things to think about.’
“I was bitterly wounded, but I didn’t speak.
I moved away from him.
He knew he’d hurt me, for in a little while he put out his hand and lightly touched my face.
“ ‘Go to sleep, my sweet,’ he said.
‘Don’t be upset because I’m in a bad humour to-day.
I drank too much yesterday.
I shall be all right to-morrow.’
“ ‘Was it your mother’s money?’ I whispered.
“He didn’t answer at once.
“ ‘Yes,’ he said at last.
“ ‘Oh, Robert, how could you?’ I cried.
“He paused again before he said anything.
I was wretched.
I think I began to cry.
“ ‘If anyone should ask you anything you never saw me with the money.
You never knew that I had any.’
“ ‘How can you think I’d betray you?’ I cried.
“ ‘And the trousers.
Maman couldn’t get the stains out.
She’s thrown them away.’
“I suddenly remembered that I’d smelt something burning that afternoon while Robert was playing and I was sitting with him.
I got up to see what it was.
“ ‘Stay here,’ he said.
“ ‘But something’s burning in the kitchen,’ I said.
“ ‘Maman’s probably burning old rags.
She’s in a dirty temper to-day, she’ll bite your head off if you go and interfere with her.’
“I knew now that it wasn’t old rags she was burning; she hadn’t thrown the trousers away, she’d burnt them.
I began to be horribly frightened, but I didn’t say anything.
He took my hand.