The blood rushed to Irene's face and flooded it with a soft pink. Her eyes grew misty and her mouth trembled.
Lewis saw that he had hurt her. He grew calm at once.
"Is there pain in your heart or only in your eyes?... Please forgive me. I only meant: why do you always think before you speak, why do you never smile, why don't your pupils dilate with interest when you are being discussed? Why do you think of what other people are doing?"
Irene could not get past his previous statement.
"It isn't that. Don't make fun of me. What did you mean when you asked me why I was not a woman? Is it because I am well-balanced? It is a perfectly natural balance."
"I am naturally well-balanced, too," replied Lewis. "I can walk about in the dark with a glass of water without spilling a drop."
She interrupted him.
"Don't treat it as a joke."
"Surely when one has being doing serious business one can laugh afterwards? Would you rather I sulked over my defeat?"
"You always fall on your feet like a cat.... I don't like dreamers."