Everest did not take up her speech in any way.
"How did you get this address?" he said merely, taking the silk scarf from his neck. Regina, watching his face, saw it grow dark with annoyance.
"I went to the studio, and they gave it me there," his sister rejoined, rising.
"You will stay and have some tea with us surely, now Everest has come in," Regina said, with her hand on the bell, but Miss Lanark declined stiffly.
She felt she must get away from this distasteful place. The whole atmosphere seemed to her hot with emotion, loving emotion, and loving emotion meant wickedness. Had Miss Lanark wished to make a representation of hell, she would certainly have drawn all the damned souls kissing each other. To have depicted them murdering or robbing, toasting or frying or torturing each other, would have seemed to be delineating too trivial and insignificant offences, but if they were represented as kissing! That would immediately explain why they were there, and how fully they deserved it.
She held out her hand to Regina.
"I sincerely hope you will think over what I have said. We all of us have to make sacrifices to duty."
"Certainly," returned Regina, "One's duty towards others should be the first thought in one's life."
Her tone was calm, grave and beautiful; she voiced exactly what was indeed the rule of her being.