"I've got nothing against them. They rather—" he sought for a word that would express the queer primordial attraction they possessed for him—"they rather cast a spell on me. But I don't want to belong to them."
"But why not, if it was proved that—?"
"For one reason, it couldn't be proved; and for another, it's too late."
The ring in his voice was strange; it made her look up at him. "Too late? Why do you say that?"
"Because it is. You told me some time ago that it was what they thought themselves. Even if it were proved, it would still be—too late."
"I don't understand you."
"I'm not sure that I understand myself. I only know that the life I've lived would make it impossible for me to go and live their life."
"Oh, nonsense! Their life is just the same as our life."
"Well, I'm not sure that I could live yours. I could conform to it on the outside. I could talk your way and eat your way; but I couldn't think your way."