d choose now, in the event of her
opposition to his wishes: when he set himself to do a thing, he hated
defeat even more than he loved success.

The moment Mary was out of the study, he walked into his wife's
boudoir, and shut the door behind him. His presence there was enough to
make her angry, but she took no notice of it.

"I understand, Mrs. Redmain," he began, "that you wish to bring the
fate of Sodom upon the house."

"I do not know what you mean," she answered, scarcely raising her eyes
from her novel--and spoke the truth, for she knew next to nothing of
the Bible, while the Old Testament was all the literature Mr. Redmain
was "up in."

"You have turned out of it the only just person in it, and we shall all
be in hell soon!"

"How dare you come to my room with such horrid language!"

"You'll hear worse before long, if you keep on at this rate. My
language is not so bad as your actions. If you don't have that girl
back, and in double-quick time, too, I shall know how to make you!"

"You have taught me to believe you capable of anything."

"You shall at least find me capable of a good deal. Do you imagine,
madam, I have found you a hair worse than I expected?"

"I never took the trouble to imagine anything about you."

"Then I need not ask you whether I married you to please you or to
please myself?"

"You need not. You can best answer that question yourself."

"Then we understand each other."

"We do not, Mr. Redmain; and, if this occurs again, I shall go to
Durnmelling."

She spoke with a vague idea that he also stood in some awe of the
father and mother whose dread, however well she hid it, she would
never, while she lived, succeed in shaking off. But to the husband it
was a rare delight to speak with conscious rectitude in the moral
chastisement of his wife. He burst into a loud and almost merry laugh.

"Happy they will be to see you there, madam! Why, you goose, if I send
a telegram before you, they won't so much as open the door to you! They
know better which side their bread is buttered."

Hesper started up in a rage. This was too much--and the more too much,
that she believed it would be as he said.

"Mr. Redmain, if you do not leave the room, I will."

"Oh, don't!" he cried, in a tone of pretended alarm. His pleasure was
great, for he had succeeded in stinging the impenetrable. "You really
ought to consider before you utter such an awful threat! I will go
myself a thousand times rath