Then, when he had it in his hands, he said abruptly, angrily, “If it’s that money, I won’t take it.”

“Yes you will.”

“Has Louis sent ye?” This was the first mention of Louis, though he was well aware of the accident.

She shook her head.

“Well, let him keep his half, and you can keep mine.”

“It’s all there.”

“How—­all there?”

“All that you left the other night.”

“But—­but—­” He seemed to be furious as he faced her.

Rachel went on—­

“The other part of the missing money’s been found ...  Louis had it.  So all this belongs to you.  If some one hadn’t told you it wouldn’t have been fair.”

She flushed slowly, trembling, but looking at him.

“Well!” Julian burst out with savage solemnity, “there’s not many of your sort knocking about.  By G——­ there isn’t!”

She walked quickly away from his passionate homage to her.

“Here!” he shouted, fingering the envelope.

But she kept on at a swift pace towards Hanbridge.  About a quarter of a mile down the road the pigeon-flyer’s dogcart stood empty outside a public-house.

CHAPTER XVI

THE LETTER

I

Rachel stood at her own front door and took off her glove in order more easily to manipulate the latch-key, which somehow, since coming into frequent use again, had never been the same manageable latch-key, but a cantankerous old thing, though still very bright.  She opened the door quietly, and stepped inside quietly, lest by chance she might disturb Louis, the invalid—­but also because she was a little afraid.

The most contradictory feelings can exist together in the mind.  After the desolate discomfort of Julian Maldon’s lodging and the spectacle of his clumsiness in the important affair of mere living, Rachel was conscious of a deep and proud happiness as she re-entered the efficient, cosy, and gracious organism of her own home.  But simultaneously with this feeling of happiness she had a dreadful general apprehension that the organism might soon be destroyed, and a particular apprehension concerning her next interview with Louis, for at the next interview she would be under the necessity of telling him about her transaction with Julian.  She had been absolutely determined upon that transaction.  She had said to herself, “Whatever happens, I shall take that money to Julian and insist on his keeping all of it.”  She had, in fact, been very brave—­indeed, audacious.  Now the consequences were imminent, and they frightened her; she was less brave now.  One awkward detail of the immediate future was that to tell Louis would be to reopen the entire question of the theft, which she had several times in the most abrupt and arrogant manner refused to discuss with him.