Part 37 (2/2)

THREE.

In four minutes he was hammering on the front door of the new house.

Maggie opened, in alarm. Edwin did not see how alarmed she was by his appearance.

”What--”

”Father thinks I've been stealing his d.a.m.ned money!” Edwin snapped, in a breaking voice. The statement was not quite accurate, but it suited his boiling anger to put it in the present tense instead of in the past.

He hesitated an instant in the hall, throwing a look behind at Maggie, who stood entranced with her hand on the latch of the open door. Then he bounded upstairs, and shut himself in his room with a tremendous bang that shook the house. He wanted to cry, but he would not.

n.o.body disturbed him till about two o'clock, when Maggie knocked at the door, and opened it, without entering.

”Edwin, I've kept your dinner hot.”

”No, thanks.” He was standing with his legs wide apart on the hearth rug.

”Father's had his dinner and gone.”

”No, thanks.”

She closed the door again.

VOLUME TWO, CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

THE SEQUEL.

”I say, Edwin,” Maggie called through the door.

”Well, come in, come in,” he replied gruffly. And as he spoke he sped from the window, where he was drumming on the pane, to the hearthrug, so that he should have the air of not having moved since Maggie's previous visit. He knew not why he made this manoeuvre, unless it was that he thought vaguely that Maggie's impression of the seriousness of the crisis might thereby be intensified.

She stood in the doorway, evidently placatory and sympathetic, and behind her stood Mrs Nixon, in a condition of great mental turmoil.

”I think you'd better come and have your tea,” said Maggie firmly, and yet gently. She was soft and stout, and incapable of a.s.serting herself with dignity; but she was his elder, and there were moments when an unusual, scarce-perceptible quality in her voice would demand from him a particular attention.

He shook his head, and looked sternly at his watch, in the manner of one who could be adamant. He was astonished to see that the hour was a quarter past six.

”Where is he?” he asked.

”Father? He's had his tea and gone back to the shop. Come along.”

”I must wash myself first,” said Edwin gloomily. He did not wish to yield, but he was undeniably very hungry indeed.

Mrs Nixon could not leave him alone at tea, worrying him with offers of specialities to tempt him. He wondered who had told the old thing about the affair. Then he reflected that she had probably heard his outburst when he entered the house. Possibly the pert, nice niece also had heard it. Maggie remained sewing at the bow-window of the dining-room while he ate a plenteous tea.

”Father said I could tell you that you could pay yourself an extra half-crown a week wages from next Sat.u.r.day,” said Maggie suddenly, when she saw he had finished. It was always Edwin who paid wages in the Clayhanger establishment.

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