“I cannot accept such a valuable gift, dear.”
“Not from me?”
“Especially not from you.”
“Oh my God, are you going to be conventional, Anne?”
“You should not be the one to accuse me of that, Alexis!” She had risen and they were staring at each other angrily.
“If you loved me, you’d take it!”
“You don’t understand,” she said more gently. “I should feel as if I had lost caste. And besides, you ought not to afford it. Dearest, can’t you see I don’t want to be an expense, or drag on you in any way?”
“Expense! Drag! If you were my wife you’d take it, wouldn’t you?”
“That is a different story.”
“Well, it’s not my fault you are not, is it? I wish to heaven you were. Then I could be sure of you. This incompleteness is killing me.” He flung himself face downwards upon the sofa.