I begged you and implored you to do. Didn't I tell
you, Poff? Didn't I warn you?"

"But now what am I to do?"

"There you are! That's just a man's way. You get yourself into this
trouble, you follow your passions and your fancies and fads and then
you turn to me! How can I help you now, Poff? If you'd listened to me
before!"

Her blue eyes were demonstratively round.

"Yes, but--"

"I warned you," she interrupted. "I warned you. I've done all I could
for you. It isn't that I haven't seen through her. When she came to me
at first with that made-up story of a baby! And all about loving me like
her own mother. But I did what I could. I thought we might still make
the best of a bad job. And then--. I might have known she couldn't leave
Pip alone.... But for weeks I didn't dream. I wouldn't dream. Right
under my nose. The impudence of it!"

Her voice broke. "Such a horrid mess! Such a hopeless, horrid mess!"

She wiped away a bright little tear....

"It's all alike. It's your way with us. All of you. There isn't a man
in the world deserves to have a woman in the world. We do all we can
for you. We do all we can to amuse you, we dress for you and we talk for
you. All the sweet, warm little women there are! And then you go away
from us! There never was a woman yet who pleased and satisfied a man,
who did not lose him. Give you everything and off you must go! Lovers,
mothers...."

It dawned upon Benham dimly that his mother's troubles did not deal
exclusively with himself.

"But Amanda," he began.

"If you'd looked after her properly, it would have been right enough.
Pip was as good as gold until she undermined him.... A woman can't wait
about like an umbrella in a stand.... He was just a boy.... Only of
course there she was--a novelty. It is perfectly easy to understand. She
flattered him.... Men are such fools."

"Still--it's no good saying that now."

"But she'll spend all your money, Poff! She'll break your back with
debts. What's to prevent her? With him living on her! For that's what it
comes to practically."

"Well, what am I to do?"

"You aren't going back without tying her up, Poff? You ought to stop
every farthing of her money--every farthing. It's your duty."

"I can't do things like that."

"But have you no Shame? To let that sort of thing go on!"

"If I don't feel the Shame of it-- And I don't."

"And that money--. I got you that money, Poff! It was my money."

Benham stared at her perpl