st."

"Damn! That's bad."

She saw that he was vexed, and a sharp touch of sorrow was added to her
sense of outrage and disappointment.

"Yes, it was given against me. It's all that Edward Huxtable's fault.
Would you believe me, but he never made out a proper case for me at all,
but just a lawyer's mess, what the judge was quite right not to hold
with."

"Have you lost much money?"

"A proper lot--but I shan't let Edward Huxtable get any of it. If he
wants his fees he'll just about have to bring another action."

"Don't be a fool, Joanna--you'll have to pay the costs if they've been
given against you. You'll only land yourself in a worse hole by making a
fuss."

They were walking westward towards the theatres and the restaurants.
Joanna felt that Bertie was angry with her--he was angry with her for
losing her case, just as she was angry with Edward Huxtable. This was
too much--the tears rose in her eyes.

"Will it do you much damage?" he asked. "In pocket, I mean."

"Oh, I--I'll have to sell out an investment or two, but it won't do any
real hurt to Ansdore. Howsumever, I'll have to go without my motor-car."

"It was really rather silly of you to bring the action."

"How, silly?"

"Well, you can't have had much of a case, or you wouldn't have lost it
like this in an hour's hearing."

"Stuff and nonsense! I'd a valiant case, if only that fool, Edward
Huxtable, hadn't been anxious to show how many hard words he knew,
instead of just telling the judge about my improvements and that."

"Really, Joanna, you might give up talking about your improvements.
They've nothing to do with the matter at all. Can't you see that, as the
Government wanted the money, it's nothing to them if you spent it on a
steam plough or on a new hat. As a matter of fact, you might just as
well have bought your motor-car--then at least we'd have that. Now you
say you've given up the idea."

"Unless you make some money and buy it"--pain made Joanna snap.

"Yes--that's right, start twitting me because it's you who have the
money. I know you have, and you've always known I haven't--I've never
deceived you. I suppose you think I'm glad to be coming to live on you,
to give up a fine commercial career for your sake. I tell you, any other
man with my feelings would have made you choose between me and
Ansdore--but I give up everything for your sake, and that's how you pay
me--by despising me."

"Oh, don't, Bertie," said Joanna. She felt t