Marie had spent the day alone with the baby.  There had been no voice save her singing one uplifted in the flat since early morning; she wanted to sit with Osborn by the fire in their dear old way, and to talk and talk; and to hear him talk.  After all, was not the companionable evening the time for which the lonely household woman lived through her silent day?

She brought her coffee to a place near him and sat down there.

“Osborn,” she said, “I was awf’ly hurt that you were so angry last night.  I do want you to see that it isn’t my fault.”

He looked at her rather appealingly.  “Let’s chuck it,” he suggested.

“If you will only understand!  I don’t believe men think; but if you would think over it for just a few minutes, dear old boy, you’d know that I’m just as careful as a woman can be.  You used to give me thirty shillings a week for the housekeeping before we had baby; and I’ve never asked you for any more since, have I?  And his food’s awf’ly expensive too.  I manage on just the same, Osborn.”

“Yes, yes,” he said, moving uneasily, “but where’s all this leading?  I mean—­”

“It isn’t leading anywhere.  I only wanted you to see that I can’t help anything.”

After a pause, with a little line between his brows, he said: 

“No, I know you can’t.  It’s all right.  You said some perfectly awful things last night—­”

“So did you, Osborn.”

He rose slowly.  “Well, dear, we won’t go over it.  We’ve seen things with the gilt off; and that’s that.  Anyhow, there’s nothing to worry about, is there?  We’re about straight with the world, though it means every penny earmarked before I earn it.  And there’s no question of buying a pram now, thank God!”

He turned away and searched on the mantelpiece for matches.  “It made me shudder,” he said very gravely, “three-pound-ten!  Four pounds!  After all the expenses I’d had.”

“Well....” she said, swallowing hard, “well, come and see Mr. Rokeby’s present.  It’s a ten-guinea carriage, Osborn; nothing less.”

He swung round and looked at her, palsied in amazement.

“Ten guineas! Ten! Good God!  Why ... it takes me the best part of three weeks to earn what that baby of yours just rides about in!”

“Aren’t you coming down to see it?”

“I—­I shall see it as I go out, thanks.”

“When you—­go out!”

She looked down quickly and noted that he had not taken off his boots.

She said in a changed voice:  “You’re going out?”

“I promised a man to look in and see the show at The Happy with him to-night.  Just in the prom, you know.  We haven’t got stalls like giddy bachelors!”

“Osborn, can’t you stay in?  It—­it’s lonely all day, and I look forward to your coming home.”

“You didn’t seem to look forward very kindly last night.”

She cried with hot resentment:  “I thought you didn’t want that mentioned again!”