The House of Mirth Edith Wharton (romantic love story reading .txt) 📖

if you have fully gratified your peculiar sense of humour I must again ask you to send for a cab.”

It was the wrong note, and she knew it as she spoke. To be stung by irony it is not necessary to understand it, and the angry streaks on Trenor’s face might have been raised by an actual lash.

“Look here, Lily, don’t take that high and mighty tone with me.” He had again moved toward the door, and in her instinctive shrinking from him she let him regain command of the threshold. “I did play a trick on you; I own up to it; but if you think I’m ashamed you’re mistaken. Lord knows I’ve been patient enough⁠—I’ve hung round and looked like an ass. And all the while you were letting a lot of other fellows make up to you⁠ ⁠… letting ’em make fun of me, I daresay⁠ ⁠… I’m not sharp, and can’t dress my friends up to look funny, as you do⁠ ⁠… but I can tell when it’s being done to me⁠ ⁠… I can tell fast enough when I’m made a fool of⁠ ⁠…”

“Ah, I shouldn’t have thought that!” flashed from Lily; but her laugh dropped to silence under his look.

“No; you wouldn’t have thought it; but you’ll know better now. That’s what you’re here for tonight. I’ve been waiting for a quiet time to talk things over, and now I’ve got it I mean to make you hear me out.”

His first rush of inarticulate resentment had been followed by a steadiness and concentration of tone more disconcerting to Lily than the excitement preceding it. For a moment her presence of mind forsook her. She had more than once been in situations where a quick swordplay of wit had been needful to cover her retreat; but her frightened heartthrobs told her that here such skill would not avail.

To gain time she repeated: “I don’t understand what you want.”

Trenor had pushed a chair between herself and the door. He threw himself in it, and leaned back, looking up at her.

“I’ll tell you what I want: I want to know just where you and I stand. Hang it, the man who pays for the dinner is generally allowed to have a seat at table.”

She flamed with anger and abasement, and the sickening need of having to conciliate where she longed to humble.

“I don’t know what you mean⁠—but you must see, Gus, that I can’t stay here talking to you at this hour⁠—”

“Gad, you go to men’s houses fast enough in broad daylight⁠—strikes me you’re not always so deuced careful of appearances.”

The brutality of the thrust gave her the sense of dizziness that follows on a physical blow. Rosedale had spoken then⁠—this was the way men talked of her⁠—She felt suddenly weak and defenceless: there was a throb of self-pity in her throat. But all the while another self was sharpening her to vigilance, whispering the terrified warning that every word and gesture must be measured.

“If you have brought me here to say insulting things⁠—” she began.

Trenor laughed. “Don’t talk stage-rot. I don’t want to insult you. But a man’s got his feelings⁠—and you’ve played with mine too long. I didn’t begin this business⁠—kept out of the way, and left the track clear for the other chaps, till you rummaged me out and set to work to make an ass of me⁠—and an easy job you had of it, too. That’s the trouble⁠—it was too easy for you⁠—you got reckless⁠—thought you could turn me inside out, and chuck me in the gutter like an empty purse. But, by gad, that ain’t playing fair: that’s dodging the rules of the game. Of course I know now what you wanted⁠—it wasn’t my beautiful eyes you were after⁠—but I tell you what, Miss Lily, you’ve got to pay up for making me think so⁠—”

He rose, squaring his shoulders aggressively, and stepped toward her with a reddening brow; but she held her footing, though every nerve tore at her to retreat as he advanced.

“Pay up?” she faltered. “Do you mean that I owe you money?”

He laughed again. “Oh, I’m not asking for payment in kind. But there’s such a thing as fair play⁠—and interest on one’s money⁠—and hang me if I’ve had as much as a look from you⁠—”

“Your money? What have I to do with your money? You advised me how to invest mine⁠ ⁠… you must have seen I knew nothing of business⁠ ⁠… you told me it was all right⁠—”

“It was all right⁠—it is, Lily: you’re welcome to all of it, and ten times more. I’m only asking for a word of thanks from you.” He was closer still, with a hand that grew formidable; and the frightened self in her was dragging the other down.

“I have thanked you; I’ve shown I was grateful. What more have you done than any friend might do, or anyone accept from a friend?”

Trenor caught her up with a sneer. “I don’t doubt you’ve accepted as much before⁠—and chucked the other chaps as you’d like to chuck me. I don’t care how you settled your score with them⁠—if you fooled ’em I’m that much to the good. Don’t stare at me like that⁠—I know I’m not talking the way a man is supposed to talk to a girl⁠—but, hang it, if you don’t like it you can stop me quick enough⁠—you know I’m mad about you⁠—damn the money, there’s plenty more of it⁠—if that bothers you⁠ ⁠… I was a brute, Lily⁠—Lily!⁠—just look at me⁠—”

Over and over her the sea of humiliation broke⁠—wave crashing on wave so close that the moral shame was one with the physical dread. It seemed to her that self-esteem would have made her invulnerable⁠—that it was her own dishonour which put a fearful solitude about her.

His touch was a shock to her drowning consciousness. She drew back from him with a desperate assumption of scorn.

“I’ve told you I don’t understand⁠—but if I owe you money you shall be paid⁠—”

Trenor’s face darkened to rage: her recoil of