She was very angry, yet common-sense came to her help and warned her that she would do well to restrain herself. After all, Jagger would easily free himself of such a ridiculous suspicion; and for her to show resentment would do him no good.
Inman guessed what was passing in his wife’s mind and added the incident to the other stored-up memories which rankled in his mind and punished him sorely; but for the moment nothing but gentleness could serve his purpose, and he went on in a softer tone.
“Let it drop, lass. If I’m wronging anybody in my thoughts it’ll do ’em no harm. There may be naught in it, but it’s my duty to you as well as myself to look round and try to find a key ’at’ll fit t’ lock.
“But we’ll put it o’ one side; there’s other things have to be thought about, and you and me’ll have to make our minds up. Baldwin’ll be made bankrupt, that’s certain, but the shop’s yours, and the machinery’ll be mine—ours, I should say; what are we going to do about it?”
She glanced up questioningly. This tone of sympathetic plain speaking appealed to the best in her nature and partially deceived her. Like a flash the suggestion presented itself that life with this man need not after all be the intolerable burden she had feared, even though love might be wanting; that she had perhaps mistaken anxiety for coldness and absence of mind for callousness.
She looked up quickly as she spoke, and the sight of her husband’s face dismissed at once all her mocking fancies.
“To save——?” Inman’s mouth opened in astonishment; but immediately took on curves of disdain as he replied:
“Don’t talk like a fool, Nancy! We’ve thrown enough into that muck-heap, and now we’ve got to think about ourselves. Baldwin wouldn’t have considered twice about sending you to the devil—let him go there himself! He’ll be made bankrupt, I tell you, and there won’t be more’n a few shillings in the pound for his creditors. The question is, am I to take the business over, or what?”
He played with his silver watch-chain, waiting for an answer, but not looking into his wife’s face, and Nancy speedily made up her mind.
For better or worse she had tied herself to the man, and whatever his qualities as a husband, there could be no question of his business ability. If she were to thwart him by withholding her money, what purpose would she serve? Would she not indeed be sowing for herself the seeds of certain trouble? The more time her husband devoted to business the less there would be to spend with her. Let the machinery be kept running there, and the wheels of their domestic life would probably run smoothly.