“And you did not harmonise with the other—ladies?”
“No. They did not seem to have any senses, whereas I felt part of the green stuff of the earth, and not a bit of grit under Nature’s big toe.”
“That’s good. You can laugh again.”
“Yes, and more kindly, even at those two enthusiasts, one of whom tried to break my arm.”
“I’m afraid I handled her rather roughly; but people who appeal to violence must be answered with violence.”
“Lizzie Straker always came in for the rough treatment. She couldn’t talk to a crowd without using the poison that was under her tongue. She always took to throwing vitriol.”
“Yes, the business has got into the hands of the wrong people.”
They sat in silence for a while, and it was the silence of two people who lean over a gate, shoulder to shoulder, and look down upon some fine stretch of country rolling to the horizon. It was the togetherness that mattered. Each presence seemed to absorb the other, and to obtain from it an exquisite tranquillity.
Eve withdrew her hand, and Canterton saw her touch her hair.
“Oh!”