"An æsthetic crowd, of course?"
"Chiefly; but I have other society as well."
"And do you live here quite alone?" he asks curiously.
"Do you mean without a sheep-dog? Oh, yes. Although I don't go in for advanced thought, I fail to see why an unmarried woman can't live by herself instead of being bored with a companion."
"And don't you find it lonely?"
"I never have time," she answers tranquilly. "My days are always fully occupied."
"And you are quite happy and—content?"
"As much as any one can be, I suppose," she says, a faint colour coming into the proud, delicate face. "I think if one has occupation and interest one can never be quite unhappy."
"And—affection?" he questions softly.
"Oh, that, of course, one does not expect," she says hurriedly. "I think a placid life is, after all, the best. It is like monotones in colour—safe, restful, even it somewhat dull."