to the
others," he said, panting with rage. "If any of you fellows come messing
round with my wife he'd better look out."

"Who do you think wants to mess around with your wife?"

"I'm not such a fool as you think. I can see a stone wall in front of me
as well as most men, and I warn you straight, that's all. I'm not going
to put up with any hanky-panky, not on your life."

"Look here, you'd better clear out of here, and come back when you're
sober."

"I shall clear out when I choose and not a minute before," said Lawson.

It was an unfortunate boast, for Chaplin in the course of his experience
as a hotel-keeper had acquired a peculiar skill in dealing with
gentlemen whose room he preferred to their company, and the words were
hardly out of Lawson's mouth before he found himself caught by the
collar and arm and hustled not without force into the street. He
stumbled down the steps into the blinding glare of the sun.

It was in consequence of this that he had his first violent scene with
Ethel. Smarting with humiliation and unwilling to go back to the hotel,
he went home that afternoon earlier than usual. He found Ethel dressing
to go out. As a rule she lay about in a Mother Hubbard, barefoot, with
a flower in her dark hair; but now, in white silk stockings and
high-heeled shoes, she was doing up a pink muslin dress which was the
newest she had.

"You're making yourself very smart," he said. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the Crossleys."

"I'll come with you."

"Why?" she asked coolly.

"I don't want you to gad about by yourself all the time."

"You're not asked."

"I don't care a damn about that. You're not going without me."

"You'd better lie down till I'm ready."

She thought he was drunk and if he once settled himself on the bed would
quickly drop off to sleep. He sat down on a chair and began to smoke a
cigarette. She watched him with increasing irritation: When she was
ready he got up. It happened by an unusual chance that there was no one
in the bungalow. Brevald was working on the plantation and his wife had
gone into Apia. Ethel faced him.

"I'm not going with you. You're drunk."

"That's a lie. You're not going without me."

She shrugged her shoulders and tried to pass him, but he caught her by
the arm and held her.

"Let me go, you devil," she said, breaking into Samoan.

"Why do you want to go without me? Haven't I told you I'm not going to
put up with any monkey tricks?"