He scarcely seemed to notice her presence. He did not speak.
“You have read the letter?” she faltered, after a moment.
He heard her then and straightened in the chair.
“I have read it,” he muttered. “Yes, I’ve read it.”
“Well—you see? It is done now and we can’t change it. So—”
He threw her hand from his shoulder and rose to his feet, crumpling the letter in his fist as he did so. He snatched his hat from the floor where it had fallen.
“Change it!” he growled, between his teeth. “We’ll see whether we can change it or not. If that low-lived son of a skunk thinks he has got me licked I’ll show him he is mistaken. He has made a fool of her with his slick tongue, but he hasn’t married her yet, and it’s a long time between now and morning.... Get out of my way!”
He would have pushed her aside but she clung to his arm.
“Wait—wait!” she begged. “You must wait. You don’t understand. He has married her. They were married an hour ago. She is his wife.”
He stopped short. She still clung to him, but, as he made no move to go, she loosed her hold. When she looked up into his face she was shocked and alarmed.