He had never thus appealed to her before. She stood stiffly between his hands. But still she did not look at him. Her eyes were upon the flowers on the table that lay scorching and slowly shrivelling under his pipe.
"I really don’t know what you want," she said, in a tone of cold aloofness.
"And don’t care!" said Jake, with sudden vehemence. "On my soul, I sometimes think to myself that if you treated Sheppard as you treat me, he had some reason for giving you a hiding."
Her eyelids quivered sharply at the rough allusion, but she did not raise them. "You are rather--hard to please," she said, in a low voice.
"Am I?" said Jake. "And do you ever try to please me by any chance?"
A slight tremor went through her. "I give you submission--obedience," she said. "You have--all that you married me for."
"Have I?" said Jake. His voice was suddenly ironical. "Ah, my girl, you know a mighty lot about that, don’t you? And have I also your confidence, your goodwill, your--friendship?"
Her eyes flashed him a look of swift protest. "They were not a part of the bargain," she said.
"Damn the bargain!" said Jake, with force. "If I didn’t want them, what did I want?"
Her eyes comprehended him and fell again. She said nothing.
He held her by the shoulders and gave her a sharp shake as if to bring her to her senses.
"P’raps you think I’m brutal," he said. "But you treat me as I wouldn’t treat any brute in creation. Why do you never speak to me? Why do you never kiss me? On my oath, you starve me of all that’s good in life and yet expect me to remain civilized."
She made no attempt to free herself, nor did she utter remonstrance of any kind. If the grip of his hands hurt her, she did not show it. She stood in utter silence.
Slowly Jake’s hold relaxed. The fierceness went out of it. He stood for a few seconds watching her, a deep frown between his brows.
"I don’t seem able to get hold of you somehow," he said at length. "And yet it ain’t for want of trying. Say, Maud, can’t you be decent to me for a bit now the little chap is coming? He’ll notice, sure, if you’re not. Guess we don’t either of us want him pestering around with questions."
There was a species of half-grudging persuasion in his voice. He held her as though at the faintest sign of encouragement he would have drawn her into his arms.