Dick was so astonished at this burst of passion that he loosed for a moment the arms he was holding, and profiting by the opportunity Kate seized him by the frizzly hair with one hand and dragged the nails of the other down his face.
At this moment Montgomery entered; he stood aghast, and Kate, whose anger had now expended itself, burst into a violent fit of weeping.
'What does this mean?' Montgomery said, speaking very slowly.
Neither answered. The man sought for words; the woman walked about the room swinging herself; and as she passed before him Montgomery stopped her and begged for an explanation. She gave him a swift look of grief, and breaking away from him, shut herself in the bedroom.
'What does this mean?'
Dick looked round vaguely, astonished at the authoritative way the question was put, but without inquiring he answered:
'That's what I want to know. I never saw anything like it in my life. We were speaking of being married, when suddenly Kate accused me of insulting her religion, and then—well, I don't remember any more. She fell into such a passion—you saw it yourself.'
'Did you say you wouldn't marry her?'
'No, on the contrary. I can't make it out. For the last month her caprices, fancies, and jealousies have been something awful!'
Montgomery made a movement as if he were going to reply, but checking himself, he remained silent. His face then assumed the settled appearance of one who is inwardly examining the different sides of a complex question. At last he said: