“Has any man ever told you?” demanded Gault.
“No,” said Loseis, clear-eyed as the sky; but thinking of Conacher nevertheless.
“Well, I’m telling you,” said Gault.
“Thanks,” said Loseis with a quick smile.
The smile annoyed the trader. It seemed to express something other than gratitude. “Do you know what they sometimes call me?” he asked.
Loseis shook her head.
“Kid-Glove Gault. An allusion to my manner, of course. Everybody knows that it conceals an iron hand. I have been through a hard school, and I have come out hard. I choose to be courteous because I despise those who surround me. I have taught myself to stand alone.”
Loseis became very uncomfortable. Why does he tell me all this? she thought.
“Look at me!” he said peremptorily.
She shook her head, pressing her lips together. If I did, I should burst out laughing in his face, she thought.