You'd be willing for me to abandon my career and become a rich nonentity in New York ?" His tone was distinctly offensive.

"I don't look at it in that way," said she coldly.

"Really, I care nothing about it." And she resumed the reading of her letter.
"Do you expect me to believe," demanded he, excited and angry--"do you expect me to believe you've not given the subject of our future a thought ?" She continued reading.

Such a question in such a tone called for the rebuke of an ignoring silence.

Also, deep down in her nature, down where the rock foundations of courage should have been but were not, there had begun an ominous trembling.
"You know what my salary is ?" "You just mentioned it." "You know it's to be only five hundred dollars a year more after January ?" "I knew the Cabinet people got eight thousand." She was gazing dreamily out toward the purple horizon, seemed as far as its mountains from worldliness.
"Hadn't you thought out how we were to live on that sum?
You are aware I've practically nothing but my salary." "I suppose I ought to think of those things--ought to have thought of them," replied she with a vague, faint smile.