She was gone some little time.
"Give me the change," exclaimed the dentist as soon as she returned.
Trina handed him a quarter; and when McTeague was about to protest, broke in upon him with a rapid stream of talk that confused him upon the instant.

But for that matter, it was never difficult for Trina to deceive the dentist.

He never went to the bottom of things.

He would have believed her if she had told him the chops had cost a dollar.
"There's sixty cents saved, anyhow," thought Trina, as she clutched the money in her pocket to keep it from rattling.
Trina cooked the chops, and they breakfasted in silence.

"Now," said McTeague as he rose, wiping the coffee from his thick mustache with the hollow of his palm, "now I'm going fishing, rain or no rain.