His eyes flashed. ‘By Jove! What a clever little woman you are!’ he exclaimed. ‘Fancy getting all that cash out of your brain-pan! It’s quite a mystery to me how you do it, you know! I can never make it out—’ ‘There’s no accounting for the public taste,’ said Delicia, watching him with the pained consciousness of a sudden contempt. ‘But you need not puzzle yourself over the matter.’ ‘Oh, I never bother my head over literature at all!’ laughed Carlyon, becoming quite hilarious, now that he knew an extra four thousand pounds had been piled into his private banking account. ‘People often ask me, “How does your wife manage to write such clever books?” And I always reply, “Don’t know, never could tell. Astonishing woman! Shuts herself up in her own room like a silkworm, and spins a regular cocoon!” That’s what I say, you know; yet nobody ever seems to believe me, and lots of fellows swear you _must_ get a man to help you.’ ‘It is part of man’s conceit to imagine his assistance always necessary,’ said Delicia, coldly smiling. ‘Considering how loudly men talk of their own extraordinary abilities, it is really astonishing how little they manage to do. Good-bye! I’m going upstairs to spin cocoons.’ He stopped her as she moved to leave the room. ‘I say, Delicia, it’s awfully sweet of you to hand over that four thousand—’ She gave a little gesture of offence. ‘Why speak of it, Will? You know that half of every sum I earn is placed to your account; it has been my rule ever since our marriage, and there is really no need to allude to what is now a mere custom of business.’ He still held her arm. ‘Yes, that’s all very well; but look here, Delicia, you’re not angry with me for anything, are you?’ She raised her head and looked straightly at him. ‘No, Will—not angry.’ Something in her eyes intimidated him. He checked himself abruptly, afraid to ask her anything more. ‘Oh, that’s all right,’ he stammered hurriedly. ‘I’m glad you’re not angry. I thought you seemed a little put out; but it’s jolly that I’m mistaken, you know. Ta-ta! Have a good morning’s grind.’