"Probably. Married women are not interesting, except to people like you and Jim, who persistently break the tenth commandment."
"I know one married woman who----"
"Who has just said good-bye to you, and repeats it," snapped Lady Jim, seeing he was about to be rude.
"Oh, very well, then, good-bye," said Askew, going out in a rage with her and with himself. And so they parted.
Leah returned smiling to her seat, delighted that she made him lose his temper, as by doing so she had recovered her own. It was so satisfactory to a deserted woman to think that a man whose love had cooled should go away uncomfortable. "And what a mercy he is gone," said Lady Jim, settling to read fashions. "I hope he'll stop in America with that Lola creature for the rest of his silly life. I suppose he won't turn over this page of his book of life, but tear it out." And in this she was perfectly right. He did.
Towards five o'clock Lionel arrived. Although she had no intimation of his coming, she quite expected to see him, and was prepared to make any necessary scene. The young clergyman looked white and excited, entering the room so rapidly that the footman had hardly time to announce the title that he was losing.
Lady Jim, recognising a crisis, came forward rapidly with studied emotion. "You know all--all," she said in a choking voice, and caught his hands.
He was taken aback. "Yes, if you mean that your husband lives."
"It is true, then--it is true;" she tottered to the sofa, and cast herself down with passionate emotion. "Say that it is true!"
"I think so. But how do you know?"