to agree with her that it was. So far as I could judge, there
was no longer any appreciable danger from the man--neither from his
presence in Catsford nor from Jenny's meetings with him. He could not
afford to threaten; she had grown far out of any peril of being cajoled.
But if not dangerous, neither was the arrangement attractive to one's
taste. It was difficult to suppose that Jenny herself liked it, unless
indeed my highly philosophical speculations covered the whole ground.
Did they? Must she really recall Powers? Couldn't she help it? Was a
present and immediate domination over even such as Powers essential to
her content?

I could not believe it and accused my own speculations, if not of entire
error (they had an element of truth), yet of inadequacy. In fact a doubt
had begun to creep into my mind. Never in my life had I heard so many
sound reasons for doing a thing that was obviously quite uncalled
for--unless there was one other reason still--a reason not plausible,
nor producible, but compelling. Yet what? For I was convinced that the
man had no hold, that she was not in the least afraid of Powers.

"I hate your standing opposite me and thinking about me," remarked Jenny
suddenly. "I'm sure it's not comfortable, and I don't think it's polite.
Besides, after all, it's possible that you might find out something!"

"Surely that 'Besides' is superfluous, anyhow?"

"I don't know--I don't quite trust you. But shall I tell you your
mistake? You're too ready to think that I have a reason for everything I
do. You're wrong. Where reason comes in with me is about the things I
don't do. If you reason about things, most of them look either dull or
dangerous. So you let them alone. But if you don't reason, you chance
it--either the dullness or the danger, as the case may be."

"A juggle with words! You reason all the same."

"Not always. Sometimes you're--driven."

On her face was a look almost as if she were being driven. I fancied
that I might have said too much about deliberate exercises of power in
my conversation with the Rector.

"I suppose you'd explain that, if you wished to," I remarked after a
pause. "You appear to be as free from being driven as most people.
You're pretty independent!"

"I should explain it if I wished--perhaps even if I could. But do you
always find it easy to explain yourself--even to yourself, to say
nothing of other people?"

"It seems to me that you've only got yourself to please.