at the table-cloth sullenly, with a flaming face, ever since the quarrel had begun, and now looking up suddenly, with a short and angry laugh, she said:
“God! I don’t know whether to walk out of here or crawl! I feel all—undressed!”
At these words, his face really did flush crimson with embarrassment. He looked at her for a moment, and then said sharply, with a note of stern reproof and anger in his voice:
“Ann! It’s very bad and very wrong—and—and—very mean of you to talk like that.”
“That’s how I feel,” she muttered.
“Then,” he said quietly but with two deep and angry spots of colour flaming in his cheeks, “I’m thoroughly ashamed of you. It’s quite unworthy of you. At a time like this, a person of your quality has got to show more—” he paused, choosing the word carefully, “more fibre. You really must, you know!”
“Oh, fibre my eye!” she flared up, looking at him with flushed, lovely and angry eyes. “You don’t lack fibre simply because you don’t want to be made a fool of! Frank, you make me tired, the way you talk! Everywhere we go now someone’s always showing’fibre’—and everyone is having a rotten, awful time. For God’s sake, let’s not talk so much about showing fibre and let’s try to enjoy ourselves and get some pleasure and some happiness from life, and act like decent, natural people for a change. I had looked forward so much to coming on this trip with Elinor—and now—” Tears of anger and disappointment glittered in her eyes, she looked down at the table sullenly in an effort to conceal them, and then muttered: “Playing the fool and making scenes and starting rows everywhere we go! Getting into trouble everywhere, making people hate us, never having any fun! Squirting siphons at some wretched little man—” she made a sudden impulsive gesture of disgust and turned away. “God! It makes me sick!”
“I’m sorry to know you feel that way,” he said quietly. “I’ll try to see it doesn’t happen again—but, after all, Ann—the reason it did happen is because I like you so very much, and have so much respect for you and won’t stand for anyone insulting you!”
“Ah-h! Insulting me!” she said angrily. “Good heavens, Francis, do you think I need protection from a wretched little man like that? When I’ve been a nurse, and had to go alone to every rotten slum in Boston, and learned to handle people twice his size! Protect me!” she said bitterly. “
