"How do you? — Oh, I see," she said.
"Steady on," said a voice from above. "That's more than enough for a pair of curtains you've wasted there. Take it gently, now. Always keep the word 'dainty' in mind. Yes, that's much better — a little finer still. That's it. You'll soon get the idea. Now all you have to do is walk over the edge, and let yourself down on it."
"Er — yes," said Lydia, dubiously. The edge of the bench seemed a long way from the floor.
The figure towering above turned as if to go, and then turned back on a thought that occurred to her.
"Oh, there's just one thing," she said. "About men."
"Men?" said Lydia.
"Well, male spiders. I mean, I don't want to come back and find that—"
"No, of course not," agreed Lydia. "I shall be pretty busy, I expect. And I don't — er — think I feel much interested in male spiders, as a matter of fact."
"Well, I don't know. There's this business of like calling to like."
"I think it sort of probably depends on how long you have been like," suggested Lydia.