"Because," Hugo answered slowly, "I thought it would be better to make it seem as if he charged the wall and broke his neck that way."
Her frigidity was worse than any hysteria. "It isn't natural to be able to do things like that. It isn't human."
He swallowed; those words in that stifled intonation were very familiar. "I know it. I'm very strong."
Roseanne looked down at the grass. "Wipe your hand, will you?"
He rubbed it in the earth. "You mustn't be frightened."
"No?" She laughed a little. "What must I be, then? I'm alive, I'm crawling with terror. Don't touch me!" She screamed and drew back.
"I can explain it."
"You can explain everything! But not that."
"It was an idiotic, wild, unfair thing to have happen at this time," he said. "My life's like that." He looked beyond her. "I began wanting to do tremendous things. The more I tried, the more discouraged I became. You see, I was strong. There have been other things figuratively like the bull. But the things themselves get littler and more preposterous, because my ambition and my nerve grows smaller." He lowered his head. "Some day—I shan't want to do anything at all any more. Continuous and unwonted defeat might infuriate some men to a great effort. It's tiring me." He raised his eyes sadly to hers. "Roseanne—!"
She gathered her legs under herself and ran. Hugo made no attempt to follow her. He merely watched. Twice she tripped and once she fell. At the stone wall she looked back at him. It was not necessary to be able to see her expression. She went on across the fields—a skinny, flapping thing—at last a mere spot of moving colour.