She turned abruptly when she came up to him, and, as he slammed the heavy gate behind the small party who entered, a thrill of fear passed through poor Margaret's heart.
She felt as though a prison door had closed upon her.
Alas! could she have looked forward and seen the real future lying before her, how far, far deeper had been her anguish--how agonized her feelings!
She went upstairs with her baby. She had seen her husband turn into his sitting-room down stairs, and she stayed till dinner was ready, then she met him.
He was silent and sullen during dinner, and she tried in vain to get him to speak.
It was a dismal meal. Margaret was tired by her unwonted exertions, and frightfully depressed by the news she had heard, and Mr. Drayton was jealous and miserable and full of plans of vindictive revenge, his wife's written opinion of him rankling in his heart.
Next day fresh complications arose. Grace sent her sister a note asking her if she could pay for the attendant and various luxuries she had had. "I don't think I told you that I had a violent tiff with old Sandford when I left him, so of course I cannot ask him for money. Will you send it to me to-day, please?"
Margaret had spent the very little she had in her yesterday's expedition; but she thought, though her husband would not have her sister in the house that he would not mind helping her. He had been generous enough when they were at Torbreck.
"Will you please give me a cheque?" she said to him when they met.
"I want to pay some things for my sister. You will not allow her to come here. She is not well enough to go back to Scotland. She wants the money."
"Does she?" he said. "Then she may want it! Not one single farthing of my money shall she have, that I swear!" and he thumped his hand down upon the table with violence.
"What am I to do?" asked his wife, in a tone of distress.
"What do I care? I feed and clothe you because you are my wife. I told you before I have not married your sister, and I will have nothing to do with her."
"I must go and see her, then, and make some arrangement for her," said Margaret, turning away.
"Not so fast," he said, while a laugh rang through the room that made her shiver again. "You do not go out again without _me_. I can tell you I am not going to allow a wretched stick of a fellow to run about with my wife any more--no, no!"