laimed in vexation; "why don't you read your own letters? One is
from Ethel, I know. See what she says."

Thorne took his wife's missive from his pocket, opened, and glanced
through it hurriedly; then turned back to the first page, and re-read
it more carefully, the expression of his face hardening into cynicism,
slightly dashed with disgust. The letter was penned in a large running
hand and covered eight pages of dainty cream-laid paper. It was
rambling in phraseology, and lachrymose in tone, but it indicated a
want, and made that want clear.

It was--divorce.

Mrs. Thorne gave no special reason for desiring release from her
marriage vows; she dwelt at length on her "lonely and unprotected"
condition, and was very sorry for herself, and considered her case a
hard one; suggesting blame to her husband in that he had not taken the
necessary steps for her release long before. She intimated that he had
been selfish and lacking in proper consideration for her in leaving it
to her to take the initial steps in the matter. He should have
arranged about the divorce at the time of the separation, she said, and
so have spared her annoyance. As he had not done so, she hoped he
would show some consideration for her now, and help her to arrange the
disagreeable business as speedily and privately as possible. He really
owed her indulgence "after all that had passed"; the last words were
heavily underscored.

Thorne, conscious that the present position of matters between them, as
well as the past unhappiness, was quite as much her fault as his, and
the act of separation more so--he having been the passive and
consenting party, did not consider it specially incumbent on him to
make things easy for his wife. In his irritation and disgust at her
heartless selfishness, he half determined to make them very much the
reverse. He was not surprised at his wife's communication; he knew
perfectly well that she would seek a divorce sooner or later, as the
liberality of the world in such matters made it natural that she should
do. He also knew that it was the larger command of the income which he
had allowed her for his child's sake, combined with the lack of strong
personal motive, which had prevented her from getting a divorce before.
Her letter irritated him, not because she desired to break the shadowy
bonds which still held her, but because he had behaved well to her, and
she had taken it as her right with careless ingratitude.