Her short upper lip curled shorter in contempt:
“I release you, Mr. Smull.”
“I want you to take this, anyway——”
“No.”
“Please, Eris——”
“No!” She picked up her suitcase and make-up box. But he continued to block the doorway.
“Eris! Eris!” he stammered. “Don’t do this—don’t leave me! My God, my God!—I—can’t stand such—such cruelty——” His face was heavily flushed and his fat neck was swelling red behind the ears.
He began to tremble and stammer again—“I’ll do anything you ask—give you anything—if you’ll only listen—Eris——
“Eris—my God, I want to marry you! I want you! I’ll keep away until I can get a divorce——”
He caught her arm in his hot, red hands; suddenly clutched her body, crushing her face against his with an inarticulate cry as though strangling. And she fought him back, savagely, in silence, bruised, wild with the shame of it. Both chairs fell; he trod on one, crushing it to splinters, and his powerful shoulder tore the mirror from the wall and wrecked the dressing table with it.