to her lips and played about them.

A stirring of Toby's body made her glance quickly down. His eyes were
open, and he was staring solemnly at her. His hair was all roughened,
and his dark face was puffed with sleep. He looked like her big baby,
irresistibly lovable. The smile deepened; but she did not speak. She
made no movement at all; and Toby, stretching out a lazy arm, put it
round her waist.

"Ugh!" he said, grunting with satisfaction. With calm pleasure she
enjoyed the knowledge of his great muscular strength; but she did not
respond to him at all. Toby jerked towards her, so that his head rested
against her side, and Sally mechanically crooked her arm lightly over
his further cheek. Toby blinked a little, and yawned, and looked at the
sunshine. "Wha's time?" he gaped. "Oh-o-oo."

"Dunno. Oo, bless me!" Sally roused herself. "I mustn't be late." She
reached out for Toby's watch, on the table at his side of the bed, and
held it up to the light. The time was half-past-seven. She looked at the
old watch, a cheap one with a loud tick. "I'll give you a _watch_, one
day," she said, condescendingly. "A _watch_."

"Here!" Toby's voice changed. He caught her wrist sharply--so sharply
that Sally almost dropped the watch on the quilt. "What's that?" His
tone was so strange that she was surprised, and tried to follow his
glance. It rested upon her hand--upon the wedding ring. Sally's blood
froze.

"Oh, that?" she said, with an attempt to be easy. "Can't come into a
place like this.... I mean, without a ring of some sort."

"Oh?" asked Toby, sternly. "You know all about it, don't you?"

"Well?" Sally was frightened, but simulating defiance. "It's true, isn't
it?"

"Where'd you get it?"

"Shop." She was so afraid that she was insolent.

"I s'pose you're _used_ to this sort of thing," cried Toby. He sat up
beside her, his face deeply crimsoned, his expression accusing. "Used to
it, are you?"

"No!" answered Sally.

"What did you get it for?"

Sally could not hide her trembling. She was blanched, and her shoulder
was raised as if to avoid a blow. It came. Toby released her wrist, and
seized her shoulder. Roughly, he so shoved her away from him that she
was thrown upon her face. She scrambled out of bed, and stood panting
before him, while Toby, kicking down the bedclothes, seemed crouched
upon the bed as if he might murderously spring at her. She watched his
hands, fascinated by an imagination of their grip upon