"When I've had your promise."
"Daniel, a woman in these days who 'obeys' her husband ought to be
ostracized, or arrested and confined in an institution for dangerous
lunatics!"
Daniel looked at her meditatively. "I'm certainly up against it!" he
was saying to himself. "I could be firm against tears or temper; but
when she just jokes about it and laughs at me and goes on doing as she
pleases, what can I do with her?"
"Margaret," he said, "I've never quarrelled with any one in my life,
but," he added, a little icy gleam in his eyes that did chill her for
the moment, "I've _always had my own way_!"
"Which has, of course, been dreadfully bad for you. It's well you've
married a wife that is going to be _very firm_ with you!"
Daniel bit his lip to keep from laughing. Not for an instant did he
think of yielding. The difficulty of the situation served only to
aggravate his obstinacy. There was more than one way of getting a
thing, and Daniel was not at all above resorting to cunning. Half the
successes of his career had been the result of his cunning. He did not
call it that; he named it subtlety, far-sightedness.
"I want to ask you something, Margaret; sit down."
She sighed and dropped again into the chair opposite him.
"You bought your new dress--frock--gown, this morning?"
She shook her head, too weary and hungry to speak.
"You didn't?"
"I told you I didn't intend to get anything."
"But we all told you to! _I_ wish you to!"
"Can't get anything in New Munich. Don't suppose you'd want me to go
to Philadelphia or Lancaster just now, for a gown, with the expense of
the party on your hands?"
"That would be an unnecessary extravagance."
"I shall buy no clothes in this village while I have what I have."
"And that twenty dollars I gave you?"
"What about it?"
"I gave it to you for a gown."
"_I_ know you did. But I told you last Saturday I didn't want one."
"Did you cash the check?"
"Yes."
"Where is the money?"
"Spent."
"What! Spent for _what_?"
"Oh, Daniel, you _busy_body! Well, it was spent for kid gloves and
presents for Hattie's babies from you and me. We needed the gloves; I
didn't need a gown; you seemed anxious to have me squander twenty
dollars, so I sent six dollars' worth of things to the babies in
Charleston."
"Without consulting me!"
"But there was nothing to consult about. And you seemed so determined
to have me spend twenty dollars."
"For a frock."
Margaret flopped her head wearily on her hand and did not answer.
"You say 'we' needed the gloves. Did you buy _me_ some? I don't need
any."
"I bought some for Jennie and Sadie," she answered mechanically.