“It is enough! Hold your tongue, I tell you. Don’t talk any more about Otto, don’t say another word about Vincent, or I—I—I’ll do you an injury! Don’t aggravate me any longer. Take care!”
Betsy wrenched herself free from her grasp.
“Eline, are you mad?” she cried, but Eline did not allow her to finish. She remained standing in front of Betsy and clenching her trembling hands.
“I tell you, you aggravate me, you aggravate me with that eternal rubbish about your house. ‘My house! my house!’ I know I am in your house, but I did not ask you to take me in, and I won’t be reminded that I am in your house, as if you did me a charity. I am not dependent on you although I am in your house, and I won’t be dictated to by you, not in anything. I am free, quite free, to do just as I please.”
“Oh no, you are not; you are in my house, and you must behave yourself. And if you don’t know how to behave yourself, I shall tell you, so long as you are here!”
“And I won’t be told by you how I am to behave!” shrieked Eline. “I tell you, I am free! I don’t want your house, about which you make so much fuss, and I swear to you that I shall not stay another moment in it! That I swear to you, I swear it, by all that is sacred! Enjoy your house to yourself, or choke in it for my part!” [[235]]
She was scarcely conscious of what she said. She had worked herself into a paroxysm of rage, and with a rapid movement she picked up her cloak from the floor and flung it round her shoulders. Then she rushed towards the door, but Henk, who on hearing the loud voices had come upon the scene, stopped her.
“Eline!” he began severely.
“Let me go, let me go!” she screamed like a wounded tigress, and she pushed his big body aside with such a frantic strength as made him stagger. Once more he attempted to stop her, but again she pushed him aside, rushed out of the room, and down the stairs.
“Eline! In Heaven’s name, Eline! you don’t know what you are doing!” he shouted to her from the landing, and rushed after her.