Jack loosened his wife's handclasp and walked over to the table.
"Nothing—what should I have to worry about?" He spoke carelessly.
"The mortgage?" suggested Echo.
"I paid that off last week," explained Jack.
Echo felt deeply hurt that this news should have been kept from her by her husband.
"You did, and never told me?" she chided. "Where did you get the money?" she inquired.
"Why, I—" Jack halted. He could not frame an excuse at once, nor invent a new lie to cover his old sin. Deeper and deeper he was getting into the mire of deception.
Echo had arisen from the seat. "It was over three thousand dollars, wasn't it?" she insisted.
"Something like that," answered Jack noncommittally.
"Well, where did you get it?" demanded his wife.