it all. "I'm really
very much in a hurry. I thought I'd just run up and look in, but I
couldn't stay. Just tell your wife she must come and see me."

"I will," said Hurstwood, standing back, and feeling intense relief at
her going. He was so ashamed that he folded his hands weakly, as he sat
in the chair afterwards, and thought.

Carrie, coming in from another direction, thought she saw Mrs. Vance
going away. She strained her eyes, but could not make sure.

"Was anybody here just now?" she asked of Hurstwood.

"Yes," he said guiltily; "Mrs. Vance."

"Did she see you?" she asked, expressing her full despair. This cut
Hurstwood like a whip, and made him sullen.

"If she had eyes, she did. I opened the door."

"Oh," said Carrie, closing one hand tightly out of sheer nervousness.
"What did she have to say?"

"Nothing," he answered. "She couldn't stay."

"And you looking like that!" said Carrie, throwing aside a long reserve.

"What of it?" he said, angering. "I didn't know she was coming, did I?"

"You knew she might," said Carrie. "I told you she said she was coming.
I've asked you a dozen times to wear your other clothes. Oh, I think
this is just terrible."

"Oh, let up," he answered. "What difference does it make? You couldn't
associate with her, anyway. They've got too much money.

"Who said I wanted to?" said Carrie, fiercely.

"Well, you act like it, rowing around over my looks. You'd think I'd
committed----"

Carrie interrupted:

"It's true," she said. "I couldn't if I wanted to, but whose fault is
it? You're very free to sit and talk about who I could associate with.
Why don't you get out and look for work?"

This was a thunderbolt in camp.

"What's it to you?" he said, rising, almost fiercely. "I pay the rent,
don't I? I furnish the----"

"Yes, you pay the rent," said Carrie. "You talk as if there was nothing
else in the world but a flat to sit around in. You haven't done a thing
for three months except sit around and interfere here. I'd like to know
what you married me for?"

"I didn't marry you," he said, in a snarling tone.

"I'd like to know what you did, then, in Montreal?" she answered.

"Well, I didn't marry you," he answered. "You can get that out of your
head. You talk as though you didn't know."

Carrie looked at him a moment, her eyes distending. She had believed it
was all legal and binding enough.

"What did you lie to me for, then?" she asked, fiercely. "What did you
for