'
Dulcie promised anything, at least to do her best, if only Mrs Clay
would be kind, sweet to her father.
'Don't scold him, don't reproach him,' she begged. 'I'm sure he'll be
terribly ill unless you're very patient and sweet to him. And I promise
he shall never know about your debts.'
Mrs Clay looked at her in wonder and gratitude. The real reason Dulcie
took on herself the wife's separate troubles and resolved to keep them
from her father was that she felt sure that if he reproached his wife
she would retort and then there would be a miserable state of feud in
the house, where at least there had been peace and affection till now.
Dulcie couldn't endure the idea of her father being made unhappy, and
she thought that by making her stepmother under an obligation to her,
she would have a sort of hold or influence and could make her behave
well and kindly to her husband. Dulcie hadn't the slightest idea how she
was going to do it, but she would.
She never even thought twice about giving up her income to her father.
She was only too delighted to be able to do it. And she believed that
his pride and sense of honour might really even make him stop gambling.
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