“I do not want to govern you.”
“You think that a wife should dictate to a husband as to the way in which he is to do his work, and the partners he may be allowed to have in his business, and the persons whom he may ask to dinner! Because you have been dictating to me on all these matters. Now, look here, my dear. As to my business, you had better never speak to me about it any more. I have endeavoured to take you into my confidence and to get you to act with me, but you have declined that, and have preferred to stick to your father. As to my partners, whether I may choose to have Sexty Parker or Lady Eustace, I am a better judge than you. And as to asking Mrs. Leslie and Lady Eustace or any other persons to dinner, as I am obliged to make even the recreations of life subservient to its work, I must claim permission to have my own way.” She had listened, but when he paused she made no reply. “Do you mean to do as I bid you and ask these ladies?”
“I cannot do that. I know that it ought not to be done. This is papa’s house, and we are living here as his guests.”
“D⸺ your papa!” he said as he burst out of the room. After a quarter of an hour he put his head again into the room and saw her sitting, like a statue, exactly where he had left her. “I have written the notes both to Lady Eustace and to Mrs. Leslie,” he said. “You can’t think it any sin at any rate to ask your aunt.”
“I will see my aunt,” she said.
“And remember I am not going to be your father’s guest, as you call it. I mean to pay for the dinner myself, and to send in my own wines. Your father shall have nothing to complain of on that head.”
“Could you not ask them to Richmond, or to some hotel?” she said.
“What; in October! If you think that I am going to live in a house in which I can’t invite a friend to dinner, you are mistaken.” And with that he took his departure.
The whole thing had now become so horrible to her that she felt unable any longer to hold up her head. It seemed to her to be sacrilege that these women should come and sit in her father’s room; but when she spoke of her father her husband had cursed him with scorn! Lopez was going to send food and wine into the house, which would be gall and wormwood to her father. At one time she thought she would at once write to her father and tell him of it all—or perhaps telegraph to him; but she could not do so without letting her husband know what she had done, and then he would have justice on his side in calling her disobedient. Were she to do that, then it would indeed be necessary that she should take part against her husband.
She had brought all this misery on herself and on her father because she had been obstinate in thinking that she could with certainty read a lover’s character. As for love—that of course had died away in her heart—imperceptibly, though, alas, so quickly! It was impossible that she could continue to love a man who from day to day was teaching her mean lessons, and who was ever doing mean things, the meanness of which was so little apparent to himself that he did not scruple to divulge them to her. How could she love a man who would make no sacrifice either to her comfort, her pride, or her conscience? But still she might obey him—if she could feel sure that obedience to him was a duty. Could it be a duty to sin against her father’s wishes, and to assist in profaning his house and abusing his hospitality after this fashion? Then her mind again went back to the troubles of Mrs. Parker, and her absolute inefficiency in that matter. It seemed to her that she had given herself over body and soul and mind to some evil genius, and that there was no escape.
“Of course we’ll come,” Mrs. Roby had said to her when she went round the corner into Berkeley Street early in the day. “Lopez spoke to me about it before.”
“What will papa say about it, Aunt Harriet?”
“I suppose he and Lopez understand each other.”
“I do not think papa will understand this.”
“I am sure Mr. Wharton would not lend his house to his son-in-law, and then object to the man he had lent it to asking a friend to dine with him. And I am sure that Mr. Lopez would not consent to occupy a house on those terms. If you don’t like it, of course we won’t come.”
“Pray don’t say that. As these other women are to come, pray do not desert me. But I cannot say I think it is right.” Mrs. Dick, however, only laughed at her scruples.
In the course of the evening Emily got letters addressed to herself from Lady Eustace and Mrs. Leslie, informing her that they would have very much pleasure in dining with her on the day named. And Lady Eustace went on to say, with much pleasantry, that she always regarded little parties, got up without any ceremony, as being the pleasantest, and that she should come on this occasion without any ceremonial observance. Then Emily was aware that her husband had not only written the notes in her name, but had put into her mouth some studied apology as to the shortness of the invitation. Well! She was the man’s wife, and she supposed that he was entitled to put any words that he pleased into her mouth.
XLVIII
“Has He Ill-Treated You?”
Lopez relieved his wife from
