"Why--you seem excited over these souvenirs. You surely expected--"
He broke in--a thing he rarely did while she was speaking:
"Anthony made a speech when he gave it to me--a very nice speech,
full of friendship and love and gratitude." He repeated Kirk's
words as he remembered them, "What do you think of that?"
"I think he expressed himself very frankly. But why do you tell me
now, when the morning will do just as well? I'm prostrated with
this heat."
"He actually acknowledged his debt in public."
Mrs. Cortlandt's eyes widened. This was not the man she knew. At
this moment he was actually insistent, almost overbearing, and he
was regarding her with that same ironical sneer that had roused
her anger earlier in the evening.
"Well, come to the point," she cried, irritably. "I don't
understand what you are getting at. If you didn't wish to accept
anything from him, why did you go?"
He began to chuckle, apparently without reason. His shoulders
shook, feebly at first, then more violently; his flat chest
heaved, and he hiccoughed as if from physical weakness. It was
alarming, and she rose, staring at him affrightedly. The sight of
her increased his mirthless laughter. He continued to shudder and
shake in uncontrollable hysteria, but his eyes were bright and
watchful.
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