"
She was cowed, and hated herself for being cowed--hated Knight, too.
"What do you call playing the fool?" she asked.
"Behaving as you're behaving now; and as you've been behaving these last
few weeks. I'm not blind, you know. You have been trying your power over
me. I suppose that's what you'd call the trick. Well, my dear Madalena,
it won't work. I hoped you might realize that without making a scene; but
you wouldn't. You've brought this on yourself, and there's nothing for it
now but a straight talk.
"My wife is not jealous. It's not in her to be jealous. If she doesn't
like you, Madalena, it's instinctive mistrust. I don't think she's even
seen the claws sticking out of the velvet. But _I_ have. I've seen
exactly what you are up to. You talk about our 'past'. You want to force
my hand. You expect me, because I've been a decent pal, and paid what I
thought was due, to pay higher, a fancy price. I won't. My wife had no
hand in keeping you out of the Easter house party. It was I who said you
weren't to be asked. You had to be taught that you couldn't dictate
terms. You wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, so the lesson had to be more
severe than I meant.
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