ested Gaga. "I can't get ... get to sleep if you
fidget like that. You're keeping me ... awake. Disturbing me."

"Am I?" cried Sally, with suppressed anger steeling her voice. "I can't
get to sleep either. It's deadly!"

"But you're ... fidgetting."

"Oh.... I thought I was lying quite still!" she exclaimed, with irony. A
bitter laugh was checked upon her lips.

There was a silence, and Sally tried to sleep. It was of no use. With a
deep sigh that was almost a passionate exclamation, she once again gave
way to her uncontrollable restlessness.

"Sally!" came the grizzling voice of Gaga.

"What?" she shouted, past all self-restraint.

"You're fidgetting!"

"Well! Who wouldn't? You groaning--groaning--groaning. Enough to make
anybody fidget. Why, you're making me sick! Why can't you look after
yourself?... What's the use of eating things that make you ill?"

"I didn't," groaned Gaga. "I only want to get to sleep."

"O--oh!" It was a savage, inhuman sound of horror and despair. Sally,
unendurably exasperated, slipped out of bed, and put on a skirt and
coat. Then she went into the sitting-room, made up the fire, and curled
herself up in one of the armchairs. A thin voice followed her.

"Sally!" It was a direct call to hysteria. "Sally.... Sally...."

"Oh, shut up!" cried Sally. "I can't stand it. I can't stand it."

"My dearest...."

She ignored Gaga; but she could not sleep. Although he called no more,
she heard him still occasionally making some plaintive sound, while she
continued to lie curled in the chair until her limbs were cramped. Long
she pondered upon her fate and her situation; and the morning found her
still irresolute, filled with distaste for Gaga, and fear of Toby, and a
general loathing of the difficulties which she and they had jointly
created. She was unhappy in a way that she had never previously known,
helplessly indignant, and all the time argumentative and explanatory to
herself because she knew that for all that was now threatening her she
alone was at heart to blame. But this did not prevent Sally from
disliking Gaga as she had not hitherto disliked him; for Gaga was the
person whom she had most injured, and the person who now stood in the
way of complete liberty. It was as yet only an hysterical exasperation
due to her search for some scapegoat; but his sickness and his peevish
complaints of her restlessness had added to Sally's feeling an
ingredient of distaste which she could not o