Would it
be possible for her husband to restore? He must have expended great
sums, and of his own he had not a penny.
Thought for herself came last. Mutimer must abandon Wanley, and
whither he went, thither must she go also. Their income would be a
hundred and seven pounds. Her husband became once more a working
man. Doubtless he would return to London; their home would be a poor
one, like that of ordinary working folk.
How would he bear it? How would he take this from _her_?
Fear crept insidiously about her heart, though she fought to banish
it. It was a fear of the instinct, clinging to trifles in the
memory, feeding upon tones, glances, the impressions of forgotten
moments. She was conscious that here at length was the crucial test
of her husband's nature, and in spite of every generous impulse she
dreaded the issue. To that dread she durst not abandon herself; to
let it grow even for an instant cost her a sensation of faintness, a
desire to flee for cover to those who would naturally protect her.
To give up all--and to Hubert Eldon! She recalled his voice when the
other day he spoke of Hubert. He had not since recurred to the
subject, but his manner still bore the significance with which that
conversation had invested it. No dream of suspicions on his part had
come to her, but it was enough that something had happened to
intensify his dislike of Hubert.
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