Just as he reached the door, his wife, gazing at the newspaper, stopped him:
He did not move from the door, and she did not look up from the newspaper.
"Seen your friend Big James this morning?"
Edwin usually went down to business before breakfast, so that his conscience might be free for a leisurely meal at nine o’clock. Big James was the oldest employee in the business. Originally he had been foreman compositor, and was still technically so described, but in fact he was general manager and Edwin’s majestic vicegerent in all the printing-shops. "Ask Big James," was the watchword of the whole organism.
Edwin had made certain resolutions about his temper, but it seemed to him that such a reply justified annoyance, and he therefore permitted himself to be annoyed, failing to see that serenity is a positive virtue only when there is justification for annoyance. The nincompoop had not even begun to perceive that what is called "right-living" means the acceptance of injustice and the excusing of the inexcusable.
"Now then," he said, brusquely. "Out with it." But there was still a trace of rough tolerance in his voice.
"No. It’s all right. I was wrong to mention it."
Her admission of sin did not in the least placate him.
"You haven’t mentioned it," he said stiffly.
Their eyes met, as Hilda’s quitted the newspaper. He could not read hers. She seemed very calm. He thought as he looked at her: "How strange it is that I should be living with this woman! What is she to me? What do I know of her?"
"If you do see Big James you might tell him not to trouble himself about that programme."
"Programme? What programme?" he asked, startled.
"Oh! Edwin!" She gave a little laugh. "The musical evening programme, of course. Aren’t we having a musical evening to-morrow night?"
More justification for annoyance! Why should she confuse the situation by pretending that he had forgotten the musical evening? The pretence was idiotic, deceiving no one. The musical evening was constantly being mentioned.
Reports of assiduous practising had reached them; and on the previous night they had had quite a subdued altercation over a proposal of Hilda’s for altering the furniture in the drawing-room.
"This is the first I’ve heard of any programme," said Edwin. "Do you mean a printed programme?"
