Her voice, as she pressed towards him, her face upraised to his, rose from deep founts of feeling; but she kept the sob in it restrained.  Fenwick felt the warmth and softness of her young body; the fresh face, the fragrant hair were close upon his lips.  He threw both his arms round her and folded her to him.

‘Just for a little while,’ he pleaded—­’till I get my footing.  One year!  For both our sakes—­Phoebe!’

’I could live on such a little—­we could get two rooms, which would be cheaper for you than lodgings.’

‘It isn’t that!’ he said, impatiently, but kissing her.  ’It is that I must be my own master—­I must have nothing to think of but my art—­I must slave night and day—­I must live with artists—­I must get to know all sorts of people who might help me on.  If you and Carrie came up—­just at first—­I couldn’t do the best for myself—­I couldn’t, I tell you.  And of course I mean the best for you, in the long run.  If I go, I must succeed.  And if I can give all my mind, I shall succeed.  Don’t you think I shall?’

He drew away from her abruptly—­holding her at arm’s length, scrutinising her face almost with hostility.

‘Yes,’ said Phoebe, slowly, ’Yes, of course you’ll succeed—­if you don’t quarrel with people.’

‘Quarrel,’ he repeated, angrily.  ’You’re always harping on that—­you’re always so afraid of people.  It does a man no harm, I tell you, to be a bit quick-tempered.  I shan’t be a fool.’

‘No, but—­I could warn you often.  And then you know,’ she said, slowly, caressing his shoulder with her hand—­’I could look after money.  You’re dreadfully bad about money, John.  Directly you’ve got it, you spend it—­and sometimes when you borrow you forget all about paying it back.’

He was struck dumb for a moment with astonishment; feeling at the same time the trembling of the form which his arm still encircled.

‘Well, Phoebe,’ he said, at last, ’you seem determined to say disagreeable things to me to-night.  I suppose I might remind you that you’re much younger than I; and that of course a man knows much more about business than a young thing like you can.  How, I should like to know, could we have done any better than we have done, since we married?  As far as money goes, we’ve had a hell of a time, from first to last!’

‘It would have been much worse,’ said Phoebe, softly, ’if I hadn’t been there—­you know it would.  You know last year when we were in such straits, and all our things were nearly sold up, you let me take over things, and keep the money.  And I went to see all the people we owed money to—­and—­and it’s pretty bad—­but it isn’t as bad as it was—­’

She hid her face on her knees, choked by the sob she could no longer repress.

‘Well, of course it’s better,’ said Fenwick, ungraciously; ’I don’t say you haven’t got a head, Phoebe—­why, I know you have!  You did first-rate!  But, after all, I had to earn the money.’