"I'm not a coward," he said. "What do you mean by going with
other men, anyway?"

"Other men!" exclaimed Carrie. "Other men--you know better than
that. I did go with Mr. Hurstwood, but whose fault was it?
Didn't you bring him here? You told him yourself that he should
come out here and take me out. Now, after it's all over, you
come and tell me that I oughtn't to go with him and that he's a
married man."

She paused at the sound of the last two words and wrung her
hands. The knowledge of Hurstwood's perfidy wounded her like a
knife.
"Oh," she sobbed, repressing herself wonderfully and keeping her
eyes dry. "Oh, oh!"

"Well, I didn't think you'd be running around with him when I was
away," insisted Drouet.

"Didn't think!" said Carrie, now angered to the core by the man's
peculiar attitude. "Of course not. You thought only of what
would be to your satisfaction. You thought you'd make a toy of
me--a plaything. Well, I'll show you that you won't. I'll have
nothing more to do with you at all. You can take your old things
and keep them," and unfastening a little pin he had given her,
she flung it vigorously upon the floor and began to move about as
if to gather up the things which belonged to her.

By this Drouet was not only irritated but fascinated the more.
He looked at her in amazement, and finally said: