His wife took it for granted that his situation called for certain social movements in which she might not be included.

But of late he had pleaded office duty on several occasions when his wife asked for his company to any evening entertainment.

He had done so in regard to the very evening in question only the morning before.
"I thought you were going to be busy," she remarked, very carefully.
"So I was," he exclaimed.

"I couldn't help the interruption, but I made up for it afterward by working until two." This settled the discussion for the time being, but there was a residue of opinion which was not satisfactory.

There was no time at which the claims of his wife could have been more unsatisfactorily pushed.