rmination in his voice
which caused her to delay her departure, "what's the matter with you of
late? Can't I talk with you any more?"

"Certainly, you can TALK with me," she replied, laying emphasis on the
word.

"Well, you wouldn't think so by the way you act. Now, you want to know
when I'll be ready--not for a month yet. Maybe not then."

"We'll go without you."

"You will, eh?" he sneered.

"Yes, we will."

He was astonished at the woman's determination, but it only irritated
him the more.

"Well, we'll see about that. It seems to me you're trying to run things
with a pretty high hand of late. You talk as though you settled my
affairs for me. Well, you don't. You don't regulate anything that's
connected with me. If you want to go, go, but you won't hurry me by any
such talk as that."

He was thoroughly aroused now. His dark eyes snapped, and he crunched
his paper as he laid it down. Mrs. Hurstwood said nothing more. He was
just finishing when she turned on her heel and went out into the hall
and upstairs. He paused for a moment, as if hesitating, then sat down
and drank a little coffee, and thereafter arose and went for his hat and
gloves upon the main floor.

His wife had really not anticipated a row of this character. She had
come down to the breakfast table feeling a little out of sorts with
herself and revolving a scheme which she had in her mind. Jessica had
called her attention to the fact that the races were not what they were
supposed to be. The social opportunities were not what they had thought
they would be this year. The beautiful girl found going every day a dull
thing. There was an earlier exodus this year of people who were anybody
to the watering places and Europe. In her own circle of acquaintances
several young men in whom she was interested had gone to Waukesha. She
began to feel that she would like to go too, and her mother agreed with
her.

Accordingly, Mrs. Hurstwood decided to broach the subject. She was
thinking this over when she came down to the table, but for some reason
the atmosphere was wrong. She was not sure, after it was all over, just
how the trouble had begun. She was determined now, however, that her
husband was a brute, and that, under no circumstances, would she let
this go by unsettled. She would have more lady-like treatment or she
would know why.

For his part, the manager was loaded with the care of this new argument
until he reached his office and started fro