[Chloe puts up her face and kisses him passionately.]

I say, you’re like fire.  You’re not feverish?

Chloe. [With a laugh] It’s a wonder if I’m not.  Charlie, are you happy with me?

Charles.  What do you think?

Chloe. [Leaning against him] You wouldn’t easily believe things against me, would you?

Charles.  What!  Thinking of those Hillcrists?  What the hell that woman means by her attitude towards you—­When I saw her there to-day, I had all my work cut out not to go up and give her a bit of my mind.

Chloe. [Watching him stealthily] It’s not good for me, now I’m like this.  It’s upsetting me, Charlie.

Charles.  Yes; and we won’t forget.  We’ll make ’em pay for it.

Chloe.  It’s wretched in a little place like this.  I say, must you go on spoiling their home?

Charles.  The woman cuts you and insults you.  That’s enough for me.

Chloe. [Timidly] Let her.  I don’t care; I can’t bear feeling enemies about, Charlie, I—­get nervous—­I——­

Charles.  My dear girl!  What is it?

     [He looks at her intently.]

Chloe.  I suppose it’s—­being like this. [Suddenly] But, Charlie, do stop it for my sake.  Do, do!

Charles. [Patting her arm] Come, come; I say, Chloe!  You’re making mountains.  See things in proportion.  Father’s paid nine thousand five hundred to get the better of those people, and you want him to chuck it away to save a woman who’s insulted you.  That’s not sense, and it’s not business.  Have some pride.

Chloe. [Breathless] I’ve got no pride, Charlie.  I want to be quiet—­that’s all.

Charles.  Well, if the row gets on your nerves, I can take you to the sea.  But you ought to enjoy a fight with people like that.

Chloe. [With calculated bitterness] No, it’s nothing, of course—­ what I want.

Charles.  Hello!  Hello!  You are on the jump!

Chloe.  If you want me to be a good wife to you, make father stop it.

Charles. [Standing up] Now, look here, Chloe, what’s behind this?

Chloe. [Faintly] Behind?

Charles.  You’re carrying on as if—­as if you were really scared!  We’ve got these people:  We’ll have them out of Deepwater in six months.  It’s absolute ruination to their beastly old house; we’ll put the chimneys on the very edge, not three hundred yards off, and our smoke’ll be drifting over them half the time.  You won’t have this confounded stuck-up woman here much longer.  And then we can really go ahead and take our proper place.  So long as she’s here, we shall never do that.  We’ve only to drive on now as fast as we can.

Chloe. [With a gesture] I see.

Charles. [Again looking at her] If you go on like this, you know,
I shall begin to think there’s something you——­