No wonder that the repeated reference by her husband was felt as a stinging insult.
"If you dare to mention that name again in connection with mine," she said, turning almost fiercely upon him, "I will--" She caught the words and held them back in the silence of her wildly reeling thoughts.
"Say on!" Emerson was cool, but not sane.

It was madness to press his excited young wife now.

Had he lost sense and discrimination?
Could he not see, in her strong, womanly indignation, the signs of innocence?
Fool! fool! to thrust sharply at her now! "My father!" came in a sudden gush of strong feeling from the lips of Irene, as the thought of him whose name was thus ejaculated came into her mind.

She struck her hands together, and stood like one in wild bewilderment.

"My father!" she added, almost mournfully; "oh, that I had never left you!" "It would have been better for you and better for me." No, he was not sane, else would no such words have fallen from his lips.
Irene, with a slight start and a slight change in the expression of her countenance, looked up at her husband: "You think so ?" Emerson was a little surprised at the way in which Irene put this interrogation.