"There!" She faced him again, her breast heaving, her eyes flashing stormily. "I'd burn it all--if I could. You like your book better than me--but I've burnt so much of it, anyway." Owen had started forward as she spoke, but it was useless to attempt to save the burning sheets, and he fell back from the hearth with an exclamation of anger. "You are a little fool, Toni." He spoke coldly. "What, good do you expect to do by a piece of childish spite like that? Those proof sheets were all corrected--now the duplicate set will have to be revised, and as they are due in London to-morrow, I shall have to spend several hours over them before I can get to bed to-night." Toni, frightened now at what she had done, stood motionless during his speech. As he said the last words her rage melted suddenly into contrition. "Owen--I'm--I'm sorry." She spoke haltingly. "I--I didn't mean to give you trouble. Can I--will you let me help you--to make up for what I've done?" He raised his eyebrows and laughed rather bitterly. "It's very kind of you, Toni, but I think I won't trouble you. Your repentance is a little belated, isn't it? And I think I prefer to keep my work to myself in future." The fire of her rage gave one last expiring flicker. "As usual," she said, "your work is more to you than I. I wonder you ever married, Owen. Marriage doesn't seem to mean a great deal to you." "I sometimes wonder, myself," he said drily. "Certainly I haven't found it a very enjoyable state of late. It seems you haven't, either. Perhaps we were in too great a hurry after all, Toni." He did not mean the words, which were wrung from him by his exasperation at her childish folly; but the effect on Toni was disastrous. She could not well turn paler than she was already; but a chill crept into her veins, congealing her blood as she stood in front of the fire. She shivered slightly; and then with an effort which made her feel physically exhausted, she moved slowly towards the door. "Where are you going, Toni?" Owen questioned her rather coldly. She turned round; and all the youth was gone from her face. "I am going to bed," she answered quietly. "Good-night, Owen." And without waiting for a reply she opened the door and went slowly out of the room. CHAPTER XXV Quite calmly and quietly Toni went about her preparations for departure. The scene in the library had turned the scale in favour of her flight. Owen had openly avowed his opinion that their hasty marriage had been a mistake; and now that the passion of rage and jealousy which had possessed her had died away, Toni could see no other method of relieving the situation than by leaving Greenriver at once.