His wife started to her feet, at bay.
"What have you come for!" was her involuntary ejaculation.
But he, with the familiar odd jerk of his head towards the garden, asked with a faint smile: "Who planted the garden ?" And he felt himself dropping into the twang of the vernacular, which he had discarded.
Lottie only stood and stared at him, objectively.

She did not think to answer.

He took his hat off, and put it on the dresser.

Again the familiar act maddened her.
"What have you come for ?" she cried again, with a voice full of hate.

Or perhaps it was fear and doubt and even hope as well.