"I am pleased," he said. "That's what I wanted, to see you going strong, doing nothing but the work you love. All the same——"
"Well?"
"Can't you understand that I don't want to see my wife working for me?"
She laughed again. "You're just like that silly old Tanks. He couldn't bear to see his wife working when she wanted to; so he wouldn't let her work, and the poor little soul got ill with not having what she wanted. You didn't want me to get ill, did you?"
"I wanted to take care of you—well or ill. I wanted to work for you all my life long."
"And you wanted me to be happy?"
"More than anything I wanted you to be happy."
"But you didn't, and you don't want me to be happy—in my own way?"
He rose and lifted her from the floor where she crouched, and held her so tight to him that he hurt her.
"My little one," he murmured, "can't you understand it? Can't you see it? You're so small—so small."