"You were talking a little while ago about generalisations," murmured Edgar.
"Perhaps I was. But what I say is true."
"You leave out of account," said Edgar, "in your old-fashioned conceptions,—the fact than an individual woman is always—in spite of her sex—exactly what an individual man is. She's always first of all a human being."
"Sometimes," responded Gaythorpe, with an excessively benevolent air; "sometimes, do you know, I'm very strongly disposed to question whether a woman can properly be regarded as a human being at all."
iv
"And now," continued Gaythorpe, towards the end of their conversation, "to revert to your unattractive correspondent."
Edgar gave a short laugh. He turned upon his friend in rebuke.
"He's never been far away from your thoughts. I've felt him there the whole evening. You have two or three facts—that he's antipathetic to me, that he's in a financial difficulty, and that he's written me a letter. That ought to be enough for you."
"Financial difficulty. H'm ... yes...." Gaythorpe reflected. "He wants a loan, presumably. A substantial loan?"
"No, he doesn't want a loan."