"I do not understand you," he replied, coldly, "what do you mean?"
"I will leave you everything, everything--only give me my freedom! We cannot live together any longer, don't you see that?" she cried quite beside herself.
"Speak lower!" he commanded, stamping angrily with his foot.
"Say yes!" entreated the young wife with a voice nearly choked with emotion.
"I say no!" was the answer. "Take my arm and come."
"I will not! I will not!" she cried, snatching away her hand which he had taken.
"You are greatly excited this evening, you will come now into the house with me; tomorrow we will talk further on the subject and in the clear daylight you can tell me what reasons you have for thinking our living together impossible."
"Now, at once, if you wish it!" she gasped out. "Because two things are wanting, two little trifling things only,--trust and esteem! I will not speak of love--you have not been true to me, Frank, you have deceived me and lost my confidence. Let me go, I entreat you, for the love of Heaven--let me go!"
As he made no reply, she went on rapidly, her words almost stumbling over each other so fast they came. "I know that I have no right in law; people would laugh at a woman who demanded her freedom on no better grounds than that she had been lied to once. So I come as a suppliant; be so very good as to let me go, I cannot bear to live with you in mistrust and--and--"
"Come, Gertrude," he said, gently, "you are ill. Come into the house now and let us talk it over in our room--come!"