A slight tremor ran through her. Mrs. Hilmer smiled.
Recalling the scene, he remembered how outwardly commonplace were the moments which followed. Even Hilmer had been surprised into banalities. Fred Starratt might have parted with them but yesterday, for any indications to the contrary, and for an instant he had found all sense of tragedy swallowed up in amazement at the passive tenacity of the conventions.
But sitting there, facing this trio, each busy with his own swift thought, it gradually dawned upon Fred Starratt that now they were afraid of him. Like a captured and blinded Samson he was in a position to bring the temple walls crashing down upon them all. They might elect to be silent, but what a voice he could raise!… He had come out of a chuckling silence to hear Hilmer saying between almost shut teeth:
"I suppose you'll be needing money now, Starratt… Railroad rates have all been raised."
He felt at that moment the same triumph as when Storch had turned the key in its lock… Hilmer always did walk directly to his objective … but there were times when subtleties had more power. He remembered the quiet thrust of his own voice measuring his adversary's expectancy:
"A man in my situation needs nothing, Hilmer … least of all money!"
He never forgot the look of contempt which Hilmer threw at him … but this time it had been a contempt for the unfathomable. Helen's face was white; only Mrs. Hilmer had continued to smile … a set, ghastly, cruel smile of complete satisfaction. And, in the silence which followed, it was Mrs. Hilmer's voice that brought them all back with a start as she said:
"Well, here we are … home again!"
It was the same voice that had broken in upon another tense situation months before with:
"What nice corn pudding this is, Mrs. Starratt…Would you mind telling me how you made it?"