He must be bathing his wounds, getting
rid of the red stains.

She sat down on the sofa at the foot of the bed and listened to the
noise of the water. At last it stopped and she heard drawers being
violently opened and shut, then a tearing sound. After a silence her
husband came into the room again with his forehead bound up in a silk
handkerchief, which was awkwardly knotted behind his head. Part of
another silk handkerchief was loosely tied round his right hand. He came
forward, stood in front of her and looked at her, and she saw now that
there was an expression almost of exultation on his face. She felt
something fall into her lap. It was the latch-key she had sent to Leo
Ulford.

"I can tell you he's sorry he ever saw that--damned sorry," said Lord
Holme.

And he laughed.

Lady Holme took the key up carefully and put it down on the sofa. She
was realising something, realising that her husband was feeling happy.
When she had laid down the key she looked up at him and there was an
intense scrutiny in her eyes. Suddenly it seemed to her as if she were
standing up and looking down on him, as if she were the judge, he the
culprit in this matter. The numbness left her mind. She was able to
think swiftly again and her hands stopped trembling. That look of
exultation in her husband's eyes had changed everything.

"Sit down, I want to speak to you," she said.

She was surprised by the calm sound of her own voice.

Lord Holme looked astonished. He shifted the bandage on his hand and
stood where he was.

"Sit down," she repeated.

"Well!" he said.

And he sat down.

"I suppose you came up here to turn me out of the house?" she said.

"You deserve it," he muttered.

But even now he did not look angry. There was a sort of savage glow on
his face. It was evident that the violent physical effort he had just
made, and the success of it, had irresistibly swept away his fury for
the moment. It might return. Probably it would return. But for the
moment it was gone. Lady Holme knew Fritz, and she knew that he
was feeling good all over. The fact that he could feel thus in such
circumstances set the brute in him before her as it had never been set
before--in a glare of light.

"And what do you deserve?" she asked.

All her terror had gone utterly. She felt mistress of herself.

"When I went to thrash Carey he was so drunk I couldn't touch him. This
feller showed fight but he was a baby in my hands. I could do anyt