They came in to dinner without changing the informal garb of the day.
James Polder was silent, disturbed, but Mariana was serenely
commonplace. Her voice, clear and high, went unimportantly on; until,
turning to Howat Penny, she said without the changing of a tone. "I want
James to take me back to Harrisburg with him, but he won't." Howat
endeavoured to meet this insanity with the silence usually opposed to
Mariana's frequent wildness of statement. His knife scraped sharply
against a plate; but, in the main, he successfully preserved an unmoved
countenance. "Now that Harriet has surrendered Mm," she persisted, "I
don't see why I can't be considered. It is the commonest sense--Jim
can't live alone, properly, in that house; I can't exist properly
without him. You see, Howat, how reasonable it seems." What he did
perceive was that his attitude of inattention must be sharply deserted.
"Your words, Mariana," he said coldly, "'proper' and 'reasonable,' in
the connection you have used them, would be ridiculous if they weren't
disgraceful. I have been patient with a certain amount of rash talk,
yes--and conduct, but this must be the end. I had intended to have you
leave Shadrach this morning, then later. Either that or I'll be forced
to make my excuses to James Polder.
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