f this new mood, which presently became a
common one. He was less and less content to let the happy hours slip
by, more and more sensitive to the reminders in giant ruin and deserted
cell, in a chance encounter with a string of guns and soldiers on their
way to manoeuvres or in the sight of a stale newspaper, of a great
world process going on in which he was now playing no part at all. And
a curious irritability manifested itself more and more plainly, whenever
human pettiness obtruded upon his attention, whenever some trivial
dishonesty, some manifest slovenliness, some spiritless failure, a
cheating waiter or a wayside beggar brought before him the shiftless,
selfish, aimless elements in humanity that war against the great dream
of life made glorious. "Accursed things," he would say, as he flung some
importunate cripple at a church door a ten-centime piece; "why were they
born? Why do they consent to live? They are no better than some chance
fungus that is because it must."

"It takes all sorts to make a world," said Amanda.

"Nonsense," said Benham. "Where is the megatherium? That sort of
creature has to go. Our sort of creature has to end it."

"Then why did you give it money?"

"Because-- I don't want the thing to be more wretched than it is. But if
I could prevent more of them--... What am I doing to prevent them?"

"These beggars annoy you," said Amanda after a pause. "They do me. Let
us go back into the mountains."

But he fretted in the mountains.

They made a ten days' tour from Macugnaga over the Monte Moro to Sass,
and thence to Zermatt and back by the Theodule to Macugnaga. The sudden
apparition of douaniers upon the Monte Moro annoyed Benham, and he was
also irritated by the solemn English mountain climbers at Saas Fee.
They were as bad as golfers, he said, and reflected momentarily upon
his father. Amanda fell in love with Monte Rosa, she wanted to kiss its
snowy forehead, she danced like a young goat down the path to Mattmark,
and rolled on the turf when she came to gentians and purple primulas.
Benham was tremendously in love with her most of the time, but one
day when they were sitting over the Findelen glacier his perceptions
blundered for the first time upon the fundamental antagonism of their
quality. She was sketching out jolly things that they were to do
together, expeditions, entertainments, amusements, and adventures, with
a voluble swiftness, and suddenly in a flash his eyes were opened,