As soon as Mr. Barmby had regretfully withdrawn, Nancy turned upon the girl with flashing eyes.

‘I want to speak to you.  Come downstairs.’

She led the way to the dining-room.  Jessica followed without a word.

‘Why are you behaving like this?  What has come to you?’

The feeble anaemic creature fell back before this outbreak of wholesome wrath; her eyes stared in alarm.

‘I won’t put up with it,’ cried Nancy.  ’If you think you can insult me because I trusted you when you were my only friend, you’ll find your mistake.  A little more, and you shall see how little your power over me is worth.  Am I to live at your mercy!  I’d starve rather.  What do you mean by it?’

‘Oh—­Nancy—­to think you should speak to me like this.’

’You are to be allowed to spit poison at me—­are you?  And I must bear it?  No, that I won’t!  Of course I know what’s the matter with you.  You have fallen in love with Samuel Barmby.—­You have!  Any one can see it.  You have no more command of yourself than a child.  And because he prefers me to you, you rage against me.  Idiot!  What is Samuel Barmby to me?  Can I do more to keep him off?  Can I say to him, “Do have pity on poor Miss.  Morgan, who—­“’

She was interrupted by a scream, on which followed a torrent of frenzied words from Jessica.

’You’re a bad-hearted woman!  You’ve behaved disgracefully yourself —­oh!  I know more than you think; and now you accuse me of being as bad.  Why did you get married in such a hurry?  Do you think I didn’t understand it?  It’s you who have no command over yourself.  If the truth were known, no decent woman would ever speak to You again.  And you’ve got your reward.  Pretend as you like, I know your husband has deserted you.  What else could you expect?  That’s what makes you hate every one that hasn’t fallen into the mud.  I wouldn’t have such a character as yours!  All this afternoon you’ve been looking at that man as no married woman could who respected herself.  You encourage him; he comes here often—­’

Hysterical passion strangled her voice, and before she could recover breath, Nancy, terrible in ire, advanced upon her.

’Leave this house, and never dare to show yourself here again!  Do what you like, I’ll endure you no longer—­be off!’

Jessica retreated, her bloodless lips apart, her eyes starting as in suffocation.  She stumbled against a chair, fell to the ground, and, with a cry of anguish, threw herself upon her knees before Nancy.

’What did I say?  I didn’t mean it—­I don’t know what I have been saying—­it was all madness.  Oh, do forgive me!  That isn’t how I really think of you—­you know it isn’t—­I’m not so wicked as that.  We have been friends so long—­I must have gone mad to speak such words.  Don’t drive me away from you, dear, dear Nancy!  I implore you to forgive me!  Look, I pray to you on my knees to forget it.  Despise me for being such a weak, wicked creature, but don’t drive me away like that!  I didn’t mean one word I said.’