“No,” she whispered back at him.  “No, I will not let you in.”

“But listen here, Trina, I tell you I am starving, regularly——­”

“Hoh!” interrupted Trina scornfully.  “A man can’t starve with four hundred dollars, I guess.”

“Well—­well—­I—­well—­” faltered the dentist.  “Never mind now.  Give me something to eat, an’ let me in an’ sleep.  I’ve been sleeping in the Plaza for the last ten nights, and say, I—­Damn it, Trina, I ain’t had anything to eat since—­”

“Where’s the four hundred dollars you robbed me of when you deserted me?” returned Trina, coldly.

“Well, I’ve spent it,” growled the dentist.  “But you can’t see me starve, Trina, no matter what’s happened.  Give me a little money, then.”

“I’ll see you starve before you get any more of my money.”

The dentist stepped back a pace and stared up at her wonder-stricken.  His face was lean and pinched.  Never had the jaw bone looked so enormous, nor the square-cut head so huge.  The moonlight made deep black shadows in the shrunken cheeks.

“Huh?” asked the dentist, puzzled.  “What did you say?”

“I won’t give you any money—­never again—­not a cent.”

“But do you know that I’m hungry?”

“Well, I’ve been hungry myself.  Besides, I don’t believe you.”

“Trina, I ain’t had a thing to eat since yesterday morning; that’s God’s truth.  Even if I did get off with your money, you can’t see me starve, can you?  You can’t see me walk the streets all night because I ain’t got a place to sleep.  Will you let me in?  Say, will you?  Huh?”

“No.”

“Well, will you give me some money then—­just a little?  Give me a dollar.  Give me half a dol—­Say, give me a dime, an’ I can get a cup of coffee.”

“No.”

The dentist paused and looked at her with curious intentness, bewildered, nonplussed.

“Say, you—­you must be crazy, Trina.  I—­I—­wouldn’t let a dog go hungry.”

“Not even if he’d bitten you, perhaps.”

The dentist stared again.

There was another pause.  McTeague looked up at her in silence, a mean and vicious twinkle coming into his small eyes.  He uttered a low exclamation, and then checked himself.

“Well, look here, for the last time.  I’m starving.  I’ve got nowhere to sleep.  Will you give me some money, or something to eat?  Will you let me in?”

“No—­no—­no.”

Trina could fancy she almost saw the brassy glint in her husband’s eyes.  He raised one enormous lean fist.  Then he growled: 

“If I had hold of you for a minute, by God, I’d make you dance.  An’ I will yet, I will yet.  Don’t you be afraid of that.”

He turned about, the moonlight showing like a layer of snow upon his massive shoulders.  Trina watched him as he passed under the shadow of the cherry trees and crossed the little court.  She heard his great feet grinding on the board flooring.  He disappeared.