'Because I was the reasonable one! Look at how you behaved after you left. It was always crazy for you to live in that poky little house while I was alone in this huge place. You could have a beautiful home but you prefer a rabbit hutch. You wouldn't even let me give you enough money for a decent place.'

'You pay to support the children-'

'But you won't accept a penny for yourself,' he said bitterly. 'Do you know how that makes me feel?'

'I'm sorry, Garth, but I don't want to depend on you. That puzzles you, doesn't it? Your life is dedicated to squeezing the last penny out of every deal. You don't understand someone who doesn't want money from you, but I don't. I never did. I wanted-' She checked herself.

'What, Faye? What did you want? Because I swear I never found out what it was.'

'Didn't you? And yet at one time you gave it to me,' she said with a touch of wistfulness. 'When we were first married, everything I needed came from you. On our wedding day I was the happiest woman on earth. I had your love; I was expecting our baby-'

'We rented a two-roomed flat with no hot water,' he recalled.

'I didn't care. All I cared about was loving you, and having you love me.'

'Did I ever stop?' he demanded. 'Was there one day of our marriage when I wasn't trying to give you the best of everything? I did it all to please you, and you tossed it back at me like so much garbage.'

'I already had the best of everything. But you took it away.'

'I didn't stop loving you,' he said almost angrily.

'But you stopped having time for me.'

He would have answered, but the phone began to ring. He snatched up the receiver. 'I'll get rid of whoever it is. Hello- Look, I can't talk now, I'm tied up- Oh, hell! Can't he call back later?- I know I've been trying to get him, but- All right! Put him through.'