“I will not ask thee for a penny.”
“Thou wilt make a martyr of thyself, and set the town talking of me and of Suneva. No, thou shalt not do such a thing. Go home and behave thyself, and no one will say wrong to thee.”
“I will not live with Suneva. If thou wilt 205 not make a house habitable for me, then I will hire a man to do it.”
“Thou wilt not dare. When it seems right to me, I will do it. Wait thou my time.”
“I can not wait. So then I will hire John Hay’s empty cottage. It will do, poor as it is.”
“If thou dost, I will never speak to thee nor to thine again. I will not give thee nor thy child a shilling, whether I be living or dead.”
“What shall I do? Oh, what shall I do?” And Margaret wrung her hands helplessly, and burst into passionate weeping.
“‘Do’? Go home, and be thankful for thy home. What would thou do in a Shetland hut, alone, at the beginning of winter? And I will not have thee come crying here. Mind that! Take thy child and go home; go at once.”
“Thou might have told me! Thou might! It was a cruel thing to take me unawares; at a moment—”
“And if I had told thee, what then? Tears and complaints, and endless wants. I had no mind to be tormented as thou tormented thy husband.”