s in any way for your sake. But--I
am her's--- her friend, mind you. I don't say I haven't ever flirted
with her. I have. But I have never said to her a single word that I
should be ashamed to repeat to you--not one word. You've got to believe
that whether you want to or not."
He paused momentarily. The frown had died away from Wingarde's face, but
his eyes were stern. He waited silently for more. Archie proceeded with
more steadiness, more self-assurance, less self-restraint.
"You've treated her abominably," he said, going straight to the point.
"I don't care what you think of me for saying so. It's the truth. You've
deceived her, neglected her, bullied her. Deny it if you can! Oh, no,
this isn't what she has told me. It has been as plain as daylight. I
couldn't have avoided knowing it. You made her your wife, Heaven knows
why. You probably cared for her in your own brutal fashion. But you have
never taken the trouble to make her care for you. You never go out with
her. You never consider her in any way. You see her wretched, ill
almost, under your eyes; and instead of putting it down to your own
confounded churlishness, you turn round and insult me for behaving
decently to her. There! I have done. You can kick me out of the house as
soon as you like. But you won't find it so easy to forget what I've
said. You know in your heart that it's the truth."
Archie ended his vigorous speech with the full expectation of being made
to pay the penalty by means of a damaged skin.
Wingarde's face was uncompromising. It told nothing of his mood during
the heavy silence that followed. It was, therefore, a considerable
shock when he abruptly surrendered the citadel without striking a single
blow.
"I am much obliged to you, Neville," he said very quietly. "And I beg to
apologize for a most unworthy suspicion. Will you shake hands?"
Archie tumbled off his high horse with more speed than elegance. He
thrust out his hand with an inarticulate murmur of assent. Perhaps after
all the fellow had been no worse than an unmannerly bear. The next
minute he was discussing politics with the monster he had dared to beard
in his own den.
When Nina saw her husband again he treated her with a courtesy so
scrupulous that she felt the miserable scourge of her uncertainty at
work again. She would have given much to have possessed the key to his
real feelings. With regard to his establishment of the Wade Home, he
gave her the briefest explan
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