be a Persian princess far from civilisation, riding her
horse upon the mountains alone, and making her women sing to her in the
evening, far from all this, from the strife and men and women--a
form came out of the shadow; a little red light burnt high up in its
blackness.

"Miss Vinrace, is it?" said Hewet, peering at her. "You were dancing
with Hirst?"

"He's made me furious!" she cried vehemently. "No one's any right to be
insolent!"

"Insolent?" Hewet repeated, taking his cigar from his mouth in surprise.
"Hirst--insolent?"

"It's insolent to--" said Rachel, and stopped. She did not know exactly
why she had been made so angry. With a great effort she pulled herself
together.

"Oh, well," she added, the vision of Helen and her mockery before her,
"I dare say I'm a fool." She made as though she were going back into the
ballroom, but Hewet stopped her.

"Please explain to me," he said. "I feel sure Hirst didn't mean to hurt
you."

When Rachel tried to explain, she found it very difficult. She could not
say that she found the vision of herself walking in a crocodile with her
hair down her back peculiarly unjust and horrible, nor could she explain
why Hirst's assumption of the superiority of his nature and experience
had seemed to her not only galling but terrible--as if a gate had
clanged in her face. Pacing up and down the terrace beside Hewet she
said bitterly:

"It's no good; we should live separate; we cannot understand each other;
we only bring out what's worst."

Hewet brushed aside her generalisation as to the natures of the two
sexes, for such generalisations bored him and seemed to him generally
untrue. But, knowing Hirst, he guessed fairly accurately what had
happened, and, though secretly much amused, was determined that Rachel
should not store the incident away in her mind to take its place in the
view she had of life.

"Now you'll hate him," he said, "which is wrong. Poor old Hirst--he
can't help his method. And really, Miss Vinrace, he was doing his best;
he was paying you a compliment--he was trying--he was trying--" he could
not finish for the laughter that overcame him.

Rachel veered round suddenly and laughed out too. She saw that there was
something ridiculous about Hirst, and perhaps about herself.

"It's his way of making friends, I suppose," she laughed. "Well--I shall
do my part. I shall begin--'Ugly in body, repulsive in mind as you are,
Mr. Hirst--"

"Hear, hear!" cried Hewet.