Now he understood.
"Yes," he said, "and you pay for it after."
"My dear, we pay for everything—after."
She leaned back in her chair. The movement withdrew her a little from Brodrick's unremitting gaze.
"There are women—angels naturally—who become devils if they can't have children. I'm an angel—you know I'm an angel—but I shall be a devil if I can't have this. Can't you see that it's just as natural and normal—for me?"
"It's pretty evident," he said, "that you can't have both. You weren't built to stand the double strain——"
"And you mean—you mean——"
"I mean that it would be better for you if you could keep off it for a while. At any rate while the child's young."
"But he'll be young, though, for ages. And if—if there are any more of him, there'll be no end to the keeping off."
"You needn't think about that," he said.