“I should think not,” with a sneer on her part that sinks his into insignificance.  “I married you to escape from my uncle, who was making me wretched!  But not”—­with an ireful glance at him—­"half as wretched as you have made me!”

Rylton shrugs his shoulders.  You should never shrug your shoulders when a woman is angry.

“Yes, wretched—­wretched!” says Tita, angry tears flooding her eyes.  “There was never any one so miserable as I have been since I married you.”

“That makes it all the more unfortunate that you are married to me still,” says Rylton icily.

“I may be married to you—­I shan’t live with you,” says Tita.

“We shall see to that,” says Rylton, who has lost his head a little.

“Yes, I shall,” returns she, with open defiance.

Meantime Margaret, who had been crushed by that first onslaught on her, has recovered herself a little.  To appeal to Tita again is useless; but to Maurice—­she must say a word of entreaty to Maurice.  Tita has been most unjust, but men are of nobler make.  Maurice will understand.

“I think,” says she very gently, catching his eye, “that it would be better for you to—­to discuss all this—­with Tita—­alone.  I shall go, but I beg of you, Maurice, to——­”

“Pray don’t beg anything of me,” says Maurice, turning upon her with an expression that bodes no good to anyone.  “I should think you ought to be the last person in the world to ask a favour of me.”

“Good gracious! what have I done now?” exclaims Margaret shrinking back, and cut to the heart by this fresh affront.

“You knew she was there, behind that screen, and you never gave me even a hint about it.  A hint would have been sufficient, but——­”

“I did!” says Margaret, driven to bay.  “I told you I had a headache, and that you were to go away—­but you wouldn’t!”

“You told me you had twenty diseases, but even that wouldn’t exonerate you from letting her hear what was not meant for her ears.”

“Ah!  I’m glad you acknowledge even so much,” breaks in Tita vindictively.

“Even though they weren’t meant for your ears I’m glad you heard them,” says Rylton, turning to her with all the air of one who isn’t going to give in at any price.  “But as for you, Margaret, I did not expect this from you.  I believed you stanch, at all events, and honest; yet you deliberately let me say what was in my mind, knowing there was an unseen listener who would be sure to make the worst of all she heard.”

“Tita, you shall explain this!” says Margaret, turning with a tragic gesture towards her.  “Speak.  Tell him.”

“What is the good of telling him anything?” says Tita, regarding her coldly.  “Yet though you have forsaken me, Margaret, I will do as you wish.”  She turns to Rylton.  “It was against Margaret’s wish that I hid behind that screen.  I heard you coming, and there was no way out of the room except by the door through which you would enter, and rather than meet you I felt”—­with a sudden flash of her large eyes at him—­“I would willingly die.  So I got behind that screen, and—­and” She pauses.  “Well, that’s all,” says she.