He turned upon me suddenly from the window.
"Did I ever say I wanted the money you might get from your cursed book?" he said, passionately. "Do you suppose I couldn't get as much for something of my own if I chose?"
Now, considering Howard was always in want of money, and perpetually lamenting his inability, real or imagined, to get it, the last remark seemed rather odd, and the vehemence with which he spoke against me was altogether incomprehensible.
"Of course," I answered quietly, looking down into his excited face. "I merely offered the money as a convenience, pro tem, as it happened to be at hand, that's all. But surely it doesn't matter. Perhaps I should not have done. I apologise. Doesn't that make it square?"
I thought he was out of health, irritable, disappointed that he had not made more of his own work, and jealous of my success, and I was willing to say anything to soften his feelings.
Howard simply turned away from me again, and I caught a mutter of "damned impertinence."
Seeing it was useless to say anything further at the moment, I strolled back into the centre of the room again, called Nous to me, and sat down.
"Jealous!" I thought, with contemptuous amusement; "how extraordinary!"
Then my thoughts rushed away in a sudden stream to Lucia, and I saw her face, glowing with delight, look out upon me from the blank surface of the wall.
"How soon now shall I possess you?" was my one thought. "How long to our marriage?"