As he was leaving, he said with curling lip:
“I guess now you know my prospects you won’t be so stingy. I’ll have to have money to carry this through.”
“All right,” said Molly.
When she was alone, Molly’s anger decreased. She had an ally now worth having. She smiled delicately as she passed up the stairs to her room, and the smile was brought to her lips because she remembered having begged Jordan to help her in this matter several times before. Then he had had no incentive, but to-day––Ah, now he would give her a divorce quietly! The social world in which she hoped to move would know nothing of her youthful indiscretion.
That night Jinnie and Peg were bending anxiously over a basket near the kitchen stove. All that human hands and hearts could do had been done for the suffering barn-cat. He had given no sign of consciousness, his breath coming and going in long, deep gasps.
“He’ll die, won’t he, Peg?” asked Jinnie, sorrowfully.
“Yes, sure. An’ it’ll be better for the beast, too.” Peg said this tempestuously.
“I’d like to have him live,” replied Jinnie. “Milly Ann mightn’t love him, but she got used to Happy Pete, didn’t she?” 176
“This feller,” assured Peggy, wagging her head, “won’t get used to anything more on this earth.”