her come in, he laid down the plaster-of-paris mould
he was making and went out into the kitchen and found her chopping up
onions.

"Well, Trina," he said, "we got that house. I've taken it."

"What do you mean?" she answered, quickly. The dentist told her.

"And you signed a paper for the first month's rent?"

"Sure, sure. That's business, you know."

"Well, why did you DO it?" cried Trina. "You might have asked ME
something about it. Now, what have you done? I was talking with Mrs.
Ryer about that house while I was out this morning, and she said the
Hungarians moved out because it was absolutely unhealthy; there's water
been standing in the basement for months. And she told me, too," Trina
went on indignantly, "that she knew the owner, and she was sure we could
get the house for thirty if we'd bargain for it. Now what have you gone
and done? I hadn't made up my mind about taking the house at all. And
now I WON'T take it, with the water in the basement and all."

"Well--well," stammered McTeague, helplessly, "we needn't go in if it's
unhealthy."

"But you've signed a PAPER," cried Trina, exasperated. "You've got
to pay that first month's rent, anyhow--to forfeit it. Oh, you are so
stupid! There's thirty-five dollars just thrown away. I SHAN'T go into
that house; we won't move a FOOT out of here. I've changed my mind about
it, and there's water in the basement besides."

"Well, I guess we can stand thirty-five dollars," mumbled the dentist,
"if we've got to."

"Thirty-five dollars just thrown out of the window," cried Trina, her
teeth clicking, every instinct of her parsimony aroused. "Oh, you the
thick-wittedest man that I ever knew. Do you think we're millionaires?
Oh, to think of losing thirty-five dollars like that." Tears were in her
eyes, tears of grief as well as of anger. Never had McTeague seen his
little woman so aroused. Suddenly she rose to her feet and slammed the
chopping-bowl down upon the table. "Well, I won't pay a nickel of it,"
she exclaimed.

"Huh? What, what?" stammered the dentist, taken all aback by her
outburst.

"I say that you will find that money, that thirty-five dollars,
yourself."

"Why--why----"

"It's your stupidity got us into this fix, and you'll be the one that'll
suffer by it."

"I can't do it, I WON'T do it. We'll--we'll share and share alike. Why,
you said--you told me you'd take the house if the water was free."

"I NEVER did. I NEVER did. How can you stand ther