“I shall return somewhere—perhaps here.”
Maskull went close up to her, in order to study her face better. “Shall you sink back into—the old state?”
“No, Maskull, thank heaven.”
“Then how will you live?”
Sullenbode calmly removed the hand which he had placed on her arm. There was a sort of swirling flame in her eyes. “And who said I would go on living?”
Maskull blinked at her in bewilderment. A few moments passed before he spoke again. “You women are a sacrificing lot. You know I can’t leave you like this.”
Their eyes met. Neither withdrew them, and neither felt embarrassed.
“You will always be the most generous of men, Maskull. Now let us go.... Corpang is a single-minded personage, and the least we others—who aren’t so single-minded—can do is to help him to his destination. We mustn’t inquire whether the destination of single-minded men is as a rule worth arriving at.”
“If it is good for Maskull, it will be good for me.”
“Well, no vessel can hold more than its appointed measure.”