"I tell you," he said, "that it’s all gone. Now, for God’s sake, my dear soul, go away! Can’t you see I’m trying to write?" "But my income----” "Oh, you and your damned income!" he shouted. "You women and your beastly greed! Haven’t you any soul? Can’t you think of anything but money?" "No, I can’t, Vincent, just now. It’s a very serious matter," said Polly, gravely. He jumped up with an oath. "It’s disposed of for the next two years," he cried. "You left it to my judgment. I’ve used my judgment. And now you come whining and sniveling about your handful of pennies. By God, I’m entitled to it! The whole thing doesn’t amount to what you cost me in a month--your clothes and your----” "Never mind that, please. Do you mean that we can’t pay Angelica?" "Good God! Is your head made of wood? Or are you getting senile?" Polly went on, as unheeding of his gross rudeness as a rock is of the spray that dashes over it. Quiet and resolute, she pursued her investigations. Her money was her life, her peace, her freedom, her dignity; she knew that she could not earn any more, and that there was no other man to give it to her. She must have it! Angelica observed her with profound admiration. Even to further her own best interests, even, she fancied, to save her own life, she couldn’t have remained so calm, so self-controlled. "Do you mean," she went on, "that we have nothing?" "I do not! We have all sorts of things--paintings, books, your jewelry. Simply we have no _money_. Now let me alone!" "But what do you propose doing?" she asked. "We can’t go on, like this, without a penny. How do you propose to pay Angelica?" He raised his upper lip in a brutal sort of sneer. "Oh, you don’t know, do you? Of course not! You’re perfectly innocent, aren’t you? You never suspected, did you, who it was paid for the clothes on your back? It’ll be such a shock to you, dear soul! In our need we shall have to turn to Eddie! He’ll pay Angelica, he’ll pay me, and he’ll pay you. God bless Eddie!" That blow told. Polly winced under it. She turned away slowly and went out of the room. Angelica followed her, and, looking back from the doorway, she saw Vincent writing again. II Angelica had started an avalanche. She was deeply impressed and interested. She had no desire to go now; she wished to see the tremendous end. Events moved with satisfactory speed. Polly went at once to Mrs. Russell’s room, to find her just arrived at home from a Stricken Belgium card-party. They closed the door; they were shut in there a long time together. They must, of course, have summoned by telephone the two unhappy and disturbed gentlemen who came in a motor-car later in the afternoon.