They turned in at the door of the Caravansary.
"I don't want to see you repudiating any part of yourself," cried Kate with sudden ardor. "It's so sweet of you, Honora, to be a mere woman in spite of all your learning and your power."
Honora stopped and grasped Kate's wrist in her strong hand.
"But am I that?" she queried, searching her friend's face with her intense gaze. "You see, I've tried--I've tried--"
She choked on the words.
"I've tried not to be a woman!" she declared, drawing her breath sharply between her teeth. "It's a strange, strange story, Kate."
"I don't understand at all," Kate declared.
"I've tried not to be a woman because David is so completely and triumphantly a man."
"Still I don't understand."
"No, I suppose not. It's a hidden history. Sometimes I can't believe it myself. But let me ask you, am I the woman you thought I would be?"