“What do you mean?” she answered, quickly.  The dentist told her.

“And you signed a paper for the first month’s rent?”

“Sure, sure.  That’s business, you know.”

“Well, why did you do it?” cried Trina.  “You might have asked me something about it.  Now, what have you done?  I was talking with Mrs. Ryer about that house while I was out this morning, and she said the Hungarians moved out because it was absolutely unhealthy; there’s water been standing in the basement for months.  And she told me, too,” Trina went on indignantly, “that she knew the owner, and she was sure we could get the house for thirty if we’d bargain for it.  Now what have you gone and done?  I hadn’t made up my mind about taking the house at all.  And now I won’t take it, with the water in the basement and all.”

“Well—­well,” stammered McTeague, helplessly, “we needn’t go in if it’s unhealthy.”

“But you’ve signed a paper,” cried Trina, exasperated.  “You’ve got to pay that first month’s rent, anyhow—­to forfeit it.  Oh, you are so stupid!  There’s thirty-five dollars just thrown away.  I shan’t go into that house; we won’t move a foot out of here.  I’ve changed my mind about it, and there’s water in the basement besides.”

“Well, I guess we can stand thirty-five dollars,” mumbled the dentist, “if we’ve got to.”

“Thirty-five dollars just thrown out of the window,” cried Trina, her teeth clicking, every instinct of her parsimony aroused.  “Oh, you the thick-wittedest man that I ever knew.  Do you think we’re millionaires?  Oh, to think of losing thirty-five dollars like that.”  Tears were in her eyes, tears of grief as well as of anger.  Never had McTeague seen his little woman so aroused.  Suddenly she rose to her feet and slammed the chopping-bowl down upon the table.  “Well, I won’t pay a nickel of it,” she exclaimed.

“Huh?  What, what?” stammered the dentist, taken all aback by her outburst.

“I say that you will find that money, that thirty-five dollars, yourself.”

“Why—­why——­”

“It’s your stupidity got us into this fix, and you’ll be the one that’ll suffer by it.”

“I can’t do it, I won’t do it.  We’ll—­we’ll share and share alike.  Why, you said—­you told me you’d take the house if the water was free.”

“I never did.  I never did.  How can you stand there and say such a thing?”

“You did tell me that,” vociferated McTeague, beginning to get angry in his turn.

“Mac, I didn’t, and you know it.  And what’s more, I won’t pay a nickel.  Mr. Heise pays his bill next week, it’s forty-three dollars, and you can just pay the thirty-five out of that.”

“Why, you got a whole hundred dollars saved up in your match-safe,” shouted the dentist, throwing out an arm with an awkward gesture.  “You pay half and I’ll pay half, that’s only fair.”