The San Francisco call., 1904-12-11
CHAPTER Xxx.
The Hour of Wrath.

AS soon as the first shot was fred
Tom Courtland struck his flag. There
was no fight in him. His career was
compromised and lby now his affairs
were seriously involved He resigned
his seat; he wasn't going TO wait TO De
turned out, he said. either by divorce
or by bankruptcy, or by both at once.
He never went home now. As last
concession to appearances, he took a
room at his club. Mrs. Bolton now
urged him to fight-since things had
zone 50 far. OF course he would have
to tell lies; but there were -circum-
stances in which everybody told lies
She was ready to back him through
thick and thin II they could get Lady
Harriet into the box and crOss-ezamine
her thoroughly. they could rely on a
great deal of sympathy from a jury OF
husbands. 1t was really good fight
ing caSe-given the lies, of course She
urged lighting, which was unselfish OF
her from one point of view, since an
undefended case would do her little
real harm. while a cross examination
in open court could not be a pleasant
ordeal for her, any more than it ought
to be for Harriet Courtland. But she
liked Tom-althOugh incurable habit
had caused her to make his affairs so
involved-and she hated that Harriet
should have q walkOVer." She was an
CRY with Tom because he gave in di-
rectly, and took it all Lying down., as
she said. But Tom was broken; he
could only mutter that he did not
care a damn what they did; it was
all over for him. His bristly hair be-
gan to turn dull gray in these trou-
blesome days. When he was not with
Mrs. Bolton he was haunting the
streets and parks. hoping he might
meet his girls taking their walk with
the maid or with SuZette Bligh. Such
stray encounters were his only chance
of seeing them now-the only chance Of
ever seeing them in the future, he sup
posed, unless the court gave him 'ac-
cess" And much pleasure there would
be in access, with Harriet to tell them
the sort Of man he was before every
such visit as the law might charinsly
dole out to him He grumbled diScOn-
solately about everything-the suit, his
affairs, his children. the access, all Of
ito Mrs. Bolton, but he did and at
tempted nothing. He was in a cOndi-
tion of moral collapse.
Harriet Courtland's state was even
worse. She was almost unapproach-
able by the children and Suzette Bhgh
and none other tried to approach her.
She had no friends left. Not one OF
Toms set was on her side; she had
wearied them all out The last to keep
up the forms of friendship had been
Christine Fanshaw. Now that was at
an end, too. She had heard nothing
from Christine. From the day of
Johns visit there had been absolute
silence. She knew well what that
meant. She brooded fercely over what
she had done to Christine-her one re-
naming friend-had done not because
she wanted to hurt Christine or to lose
her friendship, had done with no rea-
sOnable motive at all, but just in blind
rage, because in her fury she wanted
to strike and wound John, and this had
been the readiest and sharpest weapon.
She could not get what she had done
out of her head; she was driven to see
what light it cast on the history OF
her own home: it showed her the sort
of woman she was. But she held on
her way, and pressed on her suit
Realizing what she was bred in her no
desire to change There was no
changing such a woman as she
was-a crushed woman, as she
called herself again and again. So
there she sat. alone in her room.
save when her nervous children
came perforce to cover before her-alOne
in the ruin she had made, in bitter
wrath with all about her, in bitterest
wrath with herself. She was a terror
in the house and knew il. Nobody in
the house loved her nOw-nay, nobody
in the world. 1t had come to this be-
cause of her evil rage. And the rage
was not satiated; it had an appetite
still for every misfortune and every
shame which was to affiict and dis
grace her husband In that lay now
her only pleasure; her sole Joy was
to give pain. Yet the thought that her
girls had ceased to love her, or had
come to hate her. drove her to a frenzy
of anger and wretchedness. What had
they to complain Of? How dared they
not love her? She exacted signs of love
from them. They dared not refuse a
kiss for fear of blow being given in
its place; but Harriet knew now why
they kissed her and accepted her kisses.
Little hypocrites," she would NUT
ter when they went out, accusing the
work of her own hands. But they
should love her-aye, and they should
hate their father. She swore they
should at least hate their father, even
If they only pretended to love her. The
woman grew half mad at the idea that
in their hearts they loved their father.
pitied him, thought him i'll used,
grieyed because he came no more; that
they were in their hearts on their