He did mean it! He didn't care! The half-truth fanned the slow fire
growing within her into sudden flame. Judith turned, stammering over
the dammed rush of replies.

"My dear, my dear!" he deprecated, amused. "How easily you lose your
temper lately, every time there is a discussion of expenses! Why
excite yourself?" Why, indeed? Anger put her at a disadvantage, and
making her half wrong, half made him right. "I don't say I
particularly blame you, but you see for yourself you don't keep your
balance, and it's mistaken kindness to tempt any woman's natural
feminine weakness for luxury and display."

The retorts were so obvious they were hopeless. She stood looking at
him.

His eyebrows lifted; he shrugged his shoulders, went out, and forgot.

Why any of it, indeed? There was no bridge of speech between alien
minds. Their life was a continual game of cross-questions and silly
answers. Their natures were antipodal; he had the faults that annoyed
her most; his virtues were those least compensating.

Was her dream of influencing the children a superstition too, then?

The children! They slipped the house whenever possible; avoided their
father with an almost physical effect of dodging an expected blow;
when with him, watched his mood to forestall with hasty attention or
divert with strained wit, with timorous hilarity when he proved
complaisant. The possibilities for harm to them were numberless. She
and Sam were losing the children, and the children were losing