'Please! Don't let her see you—laughing, I mean.'
'You can explain to her afterwards that it was you I was laughing at.' As that failed of specific effect, 'You really are a little ridiculous,' he said again, with the edge in his voice, 'hanging on the lips of that Backfisch as if she were Demosthenes.'
'We don't think she's a Demosthenes. We know she is something much more significant—for us.'
'What?'
'She's Ernestine Blunt.'
Clean out of patience, he turned his back.
'Am I alone?' she whispered over his shoulder, as if in apology. 'Look at all the other women. Some of them are very intelligent. Our interest in our fellow-woman seems queer and unnatural to you because you don't realize Mrs. Brown has always been interested in Mrs. Jones.'
'Oh, has she?'
'Yes. She hasn't said much to Mr. Brown about it,' Vida admitted, smiling, because a man's interest in woman is so limited.'
Borrodaile laughed. 'I didn't know that was his failing!'