"Then you evidently don't understand the young gentleman himself. No self-respecting kennels would tolerate him, I assure you, for all the relegating to them we humans might choose to indulge in. You probably know nothing about dogs. They are plucky, honourable animals, with a maximum of virtue and a minimum of vice; and they resent pretty hotly, I can tell you, the arrival amongst themselves of a lot of our refuse. Now the young man whom you have chosen to honour with your 'love' must unfortunately be so described." "It is cowardly of you to abuse him when he is not here to defend himself." "He would not attempt to defend himself to me. Now come, Hilda--you are little more than a child after all. Let my attitude be parental, if you won't have it marital. Believe me, if it had not been for that very noble woman whom you have been slandering for the last quarter of an hour, Gerald Arkel, as it is, would have already reached his disastrous end." "That's right; praise her--you have nothing but blame for me!--I believe you're in love with the woman still." "Do you? Well, I suppose it's logical you should, from your point of view. Yet, if I were to admit it, I believe you'd have the audacity to be angry--or pretend to be! We've started well, Hilda--that is, you did--why not let us be wholly frank. You married me for my money and for the position you would acquire as my wife. That you admit." "Yes--I was forced to." "Never mind the force--you admit the desire. Very well, I married you, why? 'Pon my soul I couldn't tell you--that's the truth. Because I wanted a wife, I imagine, or thought I did, in the new circumstances in which I found myself. Grant then that our motives tie--they are equally unworthy of each of us--I have been a good husband to you. Have you been anything of a wife to me--I ask you, Hilda, from the day we married, have you given me a thought?" "I'm not good at sentiment--I don't understand it. I never did." "I am well aware of that. I begin to think you understand nothing but the promptings of your own badly drilled--excuse my swearing--your damned badly drilled mind." "I had rather you swore than sat there preaching at me. For goodness sake say what you've got to say, and have done with it." "As you will. Then I have this to say. You are my wife--that's a deplorable, unalterable fact. You will respect my name by keeping your own out of the mud; therefore in future you will be careful to refrain from these little amateur felonies of yours, as well as from risking prosecution for slander, which you certainly will do if you allow your tongue free rein. For the rest, if you are sensible, you'll keep up appearances before the world." "It's difficult to keep up appearances when one is thrown into contact with adventuresses of that woman's class. God knows where she came from--the slums I believe. Ask Julia about her--ask her to tell you what she told me."