When Drouet entered Carrie’s presence, he caught her in his arms as usual, but she responded to his kiss with a tremor of opposition.

“Well,” he said, “I had a great trip.”

“Did you?  How did you come out with that La Crosse man you were telling me about?”

“Oh, fine; sold him a complete line.  There was another fellow there, representing Burnstein, a regular hook-nosed sheeny, but he wasn’t in it.  I made him look like nothing at all.”

As he undid his collar and unfastened his studs, preparatory to washing his face and changing his clothes, he dilated upon his trip.  Carrie could not help listening with amusement to his animated descriptions.

“I tell you,” he said, “I surprised the people at the office.  I’ve sold more goods this last quarter than any other man of our house on the road.  I sold three thousand dollars’ worth in La Crosse.”

He plunged his face in a basin of water, and puffed and blew as he rubbed his neck and ears with his hands, while Carrie gazed upon him with mingled thoughts of recollection and present judgment.  He was still wiping his face, when he continued: 

“I’m going to strike for a raise in June.  They can afford to pay it, as much business as I turn in.  I’ll get it too, don’t you forget.”

“I hope you do,” said Carrie.

“And then if that little real estate deal I’ve got on goes through, we’ll get married,” he said with a great show of earnestness, the while he took his place before the mirror and began brushing his hair.

“I don’t believe you ever intend to marry me, Charlie,” Carrie said ruefully.  The recent protestations of Hurstwood had given her courage to say this.

“Oh, yes I do—­course I do—­what put that into your head?”

He had stopped his trifling before the mirror now and crossed over to her.  For the first time Carrie felt as if she must move away from him.

“But you’ve been saying that so long,” she said, looking with her pretty face upturned into his.

“Well, and I mean it too, but it takes money to live as I want to.  Now, when I get this increase, I can come pretty near fixing things all right, and I’ll do it.  Now, don’t you worry, girlie.”

He patted her reassuringly upon the shoulder, but Carrie felt how really futile had been her hopes.  She could clearly see that this easy-going soul intended no move in her behalf.  He was simply letting things drift because he preferred the free round of his present state to any legal trammelings.

In contrast, Hurstwood appeared strong and sincere.  He had no easy manner of putting her off.  He sympathized with her and showed her what her true value was.  He needed her, while Drouet did not care.

“Oh, no,” she said remorsefully, her tone reflecting some of her own success and more of her helplessness, “you never will.”

“Well, you wait a little while and see,” he concluded.  “I’ll marry you all right.”