'You can't,' she said. 'You've never even asked me where it is, and
while you are out of your mind, I shall certainly not tell you. You
seem to forget that when I undertook to bring suit against Alvah Moon
you gave me a general power of attorney to manage your affairs. I shall
do whatever is best for you.' 'I don't understand business,' Margaret answered, 'but I'm sure you
have no power to force Monsieur Logotheti's money upon me. I won't take
it.' 'You have taken it and I have given a receipt for it, my dear, so it's
of no use to talk nonsense. The best thing you can do is to give up
this silly idea of going on the stage, and just live like a lady, on
your income.' 'And marry my benefactor, I suppose!' Margaret's eyes flashed. 'That's
what he wants--what you all want--to keep me from singing! He thought
that if he made me independent, I would give it up, and you encouraged
him! I see it now. As for the money itself, until I really have it in
my hands it's not mine; but just as soon as it is I'll give it back to
him, and I'll tell him so to-day.' The carriage rolled through the pretty woods of Fausses Reposes, and
the sweet spring breeze fanned Margaret's cheeks in the shade. But she
felt fever in her blood and her heart beat fast and angrily as if it
were a conscious creature imprisoned in a cage. She was angry with
herself and with every one else, with Logotheti, with Mrs. Rushmore,
with poor Lushington for making such a fool of himself just when she
was prepared to like him better than ever. She was sure that she had
good cause to hate every one, and she hated accordingly, with a good
will. She wished that she might never spend another hour under Mrs.
Rushmore's roof, that she might never see Logotheti again, that she
were launched in her artistic career, free at last and responsible to
no one for her actions, her words or her thoughts.
But Mrs. Rushmore began to think that she had made a mistake in letting
her know too soon who had bought out Alvah Moon, and she wondered
vaguely why she had betrayed the secret, trying to account for her
action on the ground of some reasonably thought-out argument, which was
quite impossible, of course. So they both maintained a rather hostile
silence during the rest of the homeward drive.