In all these disputes he never quite
yielded. Though his heart sank within him he was still firm. He
would turn his back to his wife and let her run on with her
arguments without a word of answer,--till at last he would bounce
out of bed and swear that if she did not leave him alone he would
go and lock himself into the office and sleep with his head on the
office desk.
Mrs. Masters was almost driven to despair;--but at last there came
to her a gleam of hope, most unexpectedly. It had been settled that
Mary should make her journey on Friday the 12th February and that
Reginald Morton was again to accompany her. This in itself was to
Mrs. Masters an aggravation of the evil which was being done. She
was not in the least afraid of Reginald Morton; but this attendance
on Mary was in the eyes of her stepmother a cockering of her up, a
making a fine lady of her, which was in itself of all things the
most pernicious. If Mary must go to Cheltenham, why could she not
go by herself, second class, like any other young woman? "Nobody
would eat her,"--Mrs. Masters declared. But Reginald was firm in
his purpose of accompanying her. He had no objection whatever to
the second class if Mr. Masters preferred it. But as he meant to
make the journey on the same day of course they would go together.
Mr. Masters said that he was very much obliged.
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