Page:Gissing - The Nether World, vol. II, 1889.djvu/220

 offer of Peel’s—without saying a word—without as much as telling him that he ought to speak to me first?”

“Certainly I did. I’ve waited long enough; I’m not going to beat about the bush when my chance comes.”

“And you called yourself my friend?”

“I’m nobody’s friend but my own in an affair of this kind. If you’d been in my place you’d have done just the same.”

“I wouldn’t! I couldn’t have been such a mean creature! Every man and woman in the company’ll cry shame on you.”

“Don’t deafen me with your nonsense! If you played the part badly, I suppose some one else must take it. You were only on trial, like I shall be.”

Grace was livid with fury.

“Played badly! As if we didn’t all know how you’ve managed it! Much it has to do with good or bad acting! We know how creatures of your kind get what they want.”

Before the last word was uttered she was seized with a violent fit of coughing; her