"Itoldhimthattherewereprobablycardsonboardsomewhere——Jorgensonwouldknow。ThenIaskedhimwhetherhelookedonmeasagaoler。Hewasquitestartledandsorryforwhathesaid。"
　　"Itwasn’tverykindofyou，CaptainLingard。"
　　"Itslippedoutawkwardlyandwemadeitupwithalaugh。"
　　Mrs。Traversleanedherelbowsontherailandputherheadintoherhands。EveryattitudeofthatwomansurprisedLingardbyitsenchantingeffectuponhimself。Hesighed，andthesilencelastedforalongwhile。
　　"IwishIhadunderstoodeverywordthatwassaidthatmorning。"
　　"Thatmorning，"repeatedLingard。"Whatmorningdoyoumean？"
　　"ImeanthemorningwhenIwalkedoutofBelarab’sstockadeonyourarm，CaptainLingard，attheheadoftheprocession。ItseemedtomethatIwaswalkingonasplendidstageinascenefromanopera，inagorgeousshowfittomakeanaudienceholditsbreath。Youcan’tpossiblyguesshowunrealallthisseemed，andhowartificialIfeltmyself。Anopera，youknow……"
　　"Iknow。Iwasagolddiggeratonetime。SomeofususedtocomedowntoMelbournewithourpocketsfullofmoney。Idaresayitwaspoorenoughtowhatyoumusthaveseen，butonceIwenttoashowlikethat。Itwasastoryactedtomusic。Allthepeoplewentsingingthroughitrighttotheveryend。"
　　"Howitmusthavejarredonyoursenseofreality，"saidMrs。
　　Travers，stillnotlookingathim。"Youdon’trememberthenameoftheopera？"
　　"No。Inevertroubledmyheadaboutit。We——ourlotneverdid。"
　　"Iwon’taskyouwhatthestorywaslike。Itmusthaveappearedtoyouliketheverydefianceofalltruth。Wouldrealpeoplegosingingthroughtheirlifeanywhereexceptinafairytale？"
　　"Thesepeopledidn’talwayssingforjoy，"saidLingard，simply。
　　"Idon’tknowmuchaboutfairytales。"
　　"Theyaremostlyaboutprincesses，"murmuredMrs。Travers。
　　Lingarddidn’tquitehear。Hebenthisearforamomentbutshewasn’tlookingathimandhedidn’taskhertorepeatherremark。
　　"Fairytalesareforchildren，Ibelieve，"hesaid。"ButthatstorywithmusicIamtellingyouof，Mrs。Travers，wasnotataleforchildren。IassureyouthatofthefewshowsIhaveseenthatonewasthemostrealtome。Morerealthananythinginlife。"
　　Mrs。Travers，rememberingthefatalinanityofmostoperalibrettos，wastouchedbythesewordsasiftherehadbeensomethingpatheticinthisreadinessofresponse；asifshehadheardastarvedmantalkingofthedelightofacrustofdrybread。"Isupposeyouforgotyourselfinthatstory，whateveritwas，"sheremarkedinadetachedtone。
　　"Yes，itcarriedmeaway。ButIsupposeyouknowthefeeling。"
　　"No。Ineverknewanythingofthekind，notevenwhenIwasachitofagirl。"Lingardseemedtoacceptthisstatementasanassertionofsuperiority。Heinclinedhisheadslightly。
　　Moreover，shemighthavesaidwhatsheliked。Whatpleasedhimmostwashernotlookingathim；foritenabledhimtocontemplatewithperfectfreedomthecurveofhercheek，hersmallearhalfhiddenbytheclearmeshoffinehair，thefascinationofheruncoveredneck。Andherwholepersonwasanimpossible，anamazingandsolidmarvelwhichsomehowwasnotsomuchconvincingtotheeyeastosomethingwithinhimthatwasapparentlyindependentofhissenses。Notevenforamomentdidhethinkofherasremote。Untouchable——possibly！Butremote——no。
　　Whetherconsciouslyorunconsciouslyhetookherspirituallyforgranted。Itwasmateriallythatshewasawonderofthesortthatisatthesametimefamiliarandsacred。
　　"No，"Mrs。Traversbeganagain，abruptly。"Ineverforgotmyselfinastory。Itwasnotinme。Ihavenotevenbeenabletoforgetmyselfonthatmorningonshorewhichwaspartofmyownstory。"
　　"Youcarriedyourselffirstrate，"saidLingard，smilingatthenapeofherneck，herear，thefilmofescapedhair，themodellingofthecornerofhereye。Hecouldseetheflutterofthedarkeyelashes：andthedelicateflushonhercheekhadrathertheeffectofscentthanofcolour。
　　"Youapprovedofmybehaviour。"
　　"Justright，Itellyou。Myword，weren’ttheyallstruckofaheapwhentheymadeoutwhatyouwere。"
　　"Ioughttofeelflattered。IwillconfesstoyouthatIfeltonlyhalfdisguisedandwashalfangryandwhollyuncomfortable。
　　Whathelpedme，Isuppose，wasthatIwantedtoplease……"
　　"Idon’tmeantosaythattheywereexactlypleased，"brokeinLingard，conscientiously。"Theywerestartledmore。"
　　"Iwantedtopleaseyou，"droppedMrs。Travers，negligently。A
　　faint，hoarse，andimpatientcallofabirdwasheardfromthewoodsasifcallingtotheoncomingnight。Lingard’sfacegrewhotinthedeepeningdusk。Thedelicatelemonyellowandetherealgreentintshadvanishedfromtheskyandtheredglowdarkenedmenacingly。Thesunhadsetbehindtheblackpalloftheforest，nolongeredgedwithalineofgold。
　　Yes，Iwasabsurdlyself—conscious，"continuedMrs。Traversinaconversationaltone。"AnditwastheeffectoftheseclothesthatyoumademeputonoversomeofmyEuropean——Ialmostsaiddisguise；becauseyouknowinthepresentmoreperfectcostumeI
　　feelcuriouslyathome；andyetIcan’tsaythatthesethingsreallyfitme。Thesleevesofthissilkunder—jacketarerathertight。Myshouldersfeelbound，too，andastothesarongitisscandalouslyshort。Accordingtoruleitshouldhavebeenlongenoughtofallovermyfeet。ButIlikefreedomofmovement。I
　　havehadverylittleofwhatIlikedinlife。"
　　"Icanhardlybelievethat，"saidLingard。"Ifitwasn’tforyoursayingso……"
　　"Iwouldn’tsaysotoeverybody，"shesaid，turningherheadforamomenttoLingardandturningitawayagaintotheduskwhichseemedtocomefloatingovertheblacklagoon。Farawayinitsdepthacoupleoffeeblelightstwinkled；itwasimpossibletosaywhetherontheshoreorontheedgeofthemoredistantforest。Overheadthestarswerebeginningtocomeout，butfaintyet，asiftooremotetobereflectedinthelagoon。Onlytothewestasettingplanetshonethroughtheredfogofthesunsetglow。"Itwassupposednottobegoodformetohavemuchfreedomofaction。SoatleastIwastold。ButIhaveasuspicionthatitwasonlyunpleasingtootherpeople。"
　　"Ishouldhavethought，"beganLingard，thenhesitatedandstopped。Itseemedtohiminconceivablethateverybodyshouldnothavelovedtomakethatwomanhappy。Andhewasimpressedbythebitternessofhertone。Mrs。Traversdidnotseemcurioustoknowwhathewantedtosayandafteratimesheadded，"Idon’tmeanonlywhenIwasachild。Idon’trememberthatverywell。I
　　daresayIwasveryobjectionableasachild。"
　　Lingardtriedtoimagineherasachild。Theideawasnoveltohim。Herperfectionseemedtohavecomeintotheworldcomplete，mature，andwithoutanyhesitationorweakness。Hehadnothinginhisexperiencethatcouldhelphimtoimagineachildofthatclass。Thechildrenheknewplayedaboutthevillagestreetandranonthebeach。Hehadbeenoneofthem。Hehadseenotherchildren，ofcourse，since，buthehadnotbeenintouchwiththemexceptvisuallyandtheyhadnotbeenEnglishchildren。Herchildhood，likehisown，hadbeenpassedinEngland，andthatveryfactmadeitalmostimpossibleforhimtoimagineit。Hecouldnoteventellwhetheritwasintownorinthecountry，orwhetherasachildshehadevenseenthesea。Andhowcouldachildofthatkindbeobjectionable？Butherememberedthatachilddisapprovedofcouldbeveryunhappy，andhesaid：
　　"Iamsorry。"
　　Mrs。Traverslaughedalittle。Withinthemuslincageformshadturnedtoblurredshadows。Amongstthemtheformofd’Alcaceraroseandmoved。ThesystematicorelsethemorbiddumbnessofMr。Traversboredandexasperatedhim，though，asamatteroffact，thatgentleman’sspeecheshadneverhadthepowereithertoentertainortosoothehismind。
　　"It’sveryniceofyou。Youhaveagreatcapacityforsympathy，butafterallIamnotcertainonwhichsideyoursympathieslie。
　　Withme，orthosemuch—triedpeople，"saidMrs。Travers。
　　"Withthechild，"saidLingard，disregardingthebanteringtone。
　　"Achildcanhaveaverybadtimeofitalltoitself。"
　　"Whatcanyouknowofit？"sheasked。
　　"Ihavemyownfeelings，"heansweredinsomesurprise。
　　Mrs。Travers，withherbacktohim，wascoveredwithconfusion。
　　Neithercouldshedepicttoherselfhischildhoodasifhe，too，hadcomeintotheworldinthefullnessofhisstrengthandhispurpose。Shediscoveredacertainnaivenessinherselfandlaughedalittle。Hemadenosound。
　　"Don’tbeangry，"shesaid。"Iwouldn’tdreamoflaughingatyourfeelings。Indeedyourfeelingsarethemostseriousthingthatevercameinmyway。Icouldn’thelplaughingatmyself——atafunnydiscoveryImade。"
　　"Inthedaysofyourchildhood？"sheheardLingard’sdeepvoiceaskingafterapause。
　　"Oh，no。Agesafterward。Nochildcouldhavemadethatdiscovery。
　　Doyouknowthegreatestdifferencethereisbetweenus？Itisthis：ThatIhavebeenlivingsincemychildhoodinfrontofashowandthatIneverhavebeentakeninforamomentbyitstinselanditsnoiseorbyanythingthatwentononthestage。DoyouunderstandwhatImean，CaptainLingard？"
　　Therewasamomentofsilence。"Whatdoesitmatter？Wearenochildrennow。"TherewasaninfinitegentlenessinLingard’sdeeptones。"Butifyouhavebeenunhappythendon’ttellmethatithasnotbeenmadeuptoyousince。Surelyyouhaveonlytomakeasign。Awomanlikeyou。"
　　"YouthinkIcouldfrightenthewholeworldontoitsknees？"
　　"No，notfrighten。"Thesuggestionofalaughinthedeadenedvoicepassedoffinacatchofthebreath。Thenhewasheardbeginningsoberly："Yourhusband……"Hehesitatedalittleandshetooktheopportunitytosaycoldly：
　　"HisnameisMr。Travers。"
　　Lingarddidn’tknowhowtotakeit。Heimaginedhimselftohavebeenguiltyofsomesortofpresumption。Buthowonearthwashetocalltheman？Afterallhewasherhusband。Thatideawasdisagreeabletohimbecausethemanwasalsoinimicalinaparticularlyunreasonableandgallingmanner。Atthesametimehewasawarethathedidn’tcareabitforhisenmityandhadanideathathewouldnothavecaredforhisfriendshipeither。Andsuddenlyhefeltverymuchannoyed。
　　"Yes。That’sthemanImean，"hesaidinacontemptuoustone。"I
　　don’tparticularlylikethenameandIamsureIdon’twanttotalkabouthimmorethanIcanhelp。Ifhehadn’tbeenyourhusbandIwouldn’thaveputupwithhismannersforanhour。Doyouknowwhatwouldhavehappenedtohimifhehadn’tbeenyourhusband？"
　　"No，"saidMrs。Travers。"Doyou，CaptainLingard？"
　　"Notexactly，"headmitted。"Somethinghewouldn’thaveliked，youmaybesure。"
　　"Whileofcoursehelikesthisverymuch，"sheobserved。Lingardgaveanabruptlaugh。
　　"Idon’tthinkit’sinmypowertodoanythingthathewouldlike，"hesaidinaserioustone。"Forgivememyfrankness，Mrs。
　　Travers，buthemakesitverydifficultsometimesformetokeepcivil。WhateverIhavehadtoputupwithinlifeIhaveneverhadtoputupwithcontempt。"
　　"Iquitebelievethat，"saidMrs。Travers。"Don’tyourfriendscallyouKingTom？"
　　"NobodythatIcarefor。Ihavenofriends。Oh，yes，theycallmethat……"
　　"Youhavenofriends？"
　　"NotI，"hesaidwithdecision。"Amanlikemehasnochums。"
　　"It’squitepossible，"murmuredMrs。Traverstoherself。
　　"No，notevenJorgenson。OldcrazyJorgenson。HecallsmeKingTom，too。Youseewhatthat’sworth。"
　　"Yes，Isee。OrratherIhaveheard。Thatpoormanhasnotone，andsomuchdependsonthat。NowsupposeIweretocallyouKingTomnowandthenbetweenourselves，"Mrs。Travers’voiceproposed，distantlytentativeinthenightthatinvestedherpersonwithacolourlessvaguenessofform。
　　Shewaitedinthestillness，herelbowsontherailandherfaceinherhandsasifshehadalreadyforgottenwhatshehadsaid。
　　Sheheardatherelbowthedeepmurmurof：
　　"Let’shearyousayit。"
　　Shenevermovedtheleastbit。Thesombrelagoonsparkledfaintlywiththereflectionofthestars。
　　"Oh，yes，Iwillletyouhearit，"shesaidintothestarlitspaceinavoiceofunaccentedgentlenesswhichchangedsubtlyasshewenton。"Ihopeyouwillneverregretthatyoucameoutofyourfriendlessmysterytospeaktome，KingTom。Howmanydaysagoitwas！Andhereisanotherdaygone。Tellmehowmanymoreofthemtheremustbe？Oftheseblindingdaysandnightswithoutasound。"
　　"Bepatient，"hemurmured。"Don’taskmefortheimpossible。"
　　"HowdoyouorIknowwhatispossible？"shewhisperedwithastrangescorn。"Youwouldn’tdareguess。ButItellyouthateverydaythatpassesismoreimpossibletomethanthedaybefore。"
　　Thepassionofthatwhisperwentlikeastabintohisbreast。
　　"WhatamItotellyou？"hemurmured，asifwithdespair。
　　"Rememberthateverysunsetmakesitadayless。DoyouthinkI
　　wantyouhere？"
　　Abitterlittlelaughfloatedoutintothestarlight。Mrs。
　　TraversheardLingardmovesuddenlyawayfromherside。Shedidn’tchangeherposebyahair’sbreadth。Presentlysheheardd’AlcacercomingoutoftheCage。Hiscultivatedvoiceaskedhalfplayfully：
　　"Haveyouhadasatisfactoryconversation？MayIbetoldsomethingofit？"
　　"Mr。d’Alcacer，youarecurious。"
　　"Well，inourposition，Iconfess……Youareouronlyrefuge，remember。"
　　"Youwanttoknowwhatweweretalkingabout，"saidMrs。Travers，alteringslowlyherpositionsoastoconfrontd’Alcacerwhosefacewasalmostundistinguishable。"Oh，well，then，wetalkedaboutopera，therealitiesandillusionsofthestage，ofdresses，ofpeople’snames，andthingsofthatsort。"
　　"Nothingofimportance，"hesaidcourteously。Mrs。Traversmovedforwardandhesteppedtooneside。InsidetheCagetwoMalayhandswerehangingroundlanterns，thelightofwhichfellonMr。
　　Travers’bowedheadashesatinhischair。
　　WhentheywereallassembledfortheeveningmealJorgensonstrolledupfromnowhereinparticularashishabitwas，andspeakingthroughthemuslinannouncedthatCaptainLingardbeggedtobeexcusedfromjoiningthecompanythatevening。Thenhestrolledaway。Fromthatmomenttilltheygotupfromthetableandthecampbedsteadswerebroughtinnottwentywordspassedbetweenthemembersofthepartywithinthenet。Thestrangenessoftheirsituationmadeallattemptstoexchangeideasveryarduous；andapartfromthateachhadthoughtswhichitwasdistinctlyuselesstocommunicatetotheothers。Mr。Travershadabandonedhimselftohissenseofinjury。Hedidnotsomuchbroodasrageinwardlyinadull，dispiritedway。Theimpossibilityofassertinghimselfinanymannergalledhisverysoul。D’Alcacerwasextremelypuzzled。DetachedinasensefromthelifeofmenperhapsasmuchevenasJorgensonhimself，hetookyetareasonableinterestinthecourseofeventsandhadnotlostallhissenseofself—preservation。Withoutbeingabletoappreciatetheexactvaluesofthesituationhewasnotoneofthosemenwhoareevercompletelyinthedarkinanygivensetofcircumstances。Withoutbeinghumoroushewasagood—humouredman。
　　Hishabitual，gentlesmilewasatrueexpression。MoreofaEuropeanthanofaSpaniardhehadthattrulyaristocraticnaturewhichisinclinedtocrediteveryhonestmanwithsomethingofitsownnobilityandinitsjudgmentisaltogetherindependentofclassfeeling。HebelievedLingardtobeanhonestmanandhenevertroubledhisheadtoclassifyhim，exceptinthesensethathefoundhimaninterestingcharacter。Hehadasortofesteemfortheoutwardpersonalityandthebearingofthatseaman。Hefoundinhimalsothedistinctionofbeingnothingofatype。Hewasaspecimentobejudgedonlybyitsownworth。Withhisnaturalgiftofinsightd’Alcacertoldhimselfthatmanyoverseasadventurersofhistorywereprobablylessworthybecauseobviouslytheymusthavebeenlesssimple。Hedidn’t，however，impartthosethoughtsformallytoMrs。Travers。InfactheavoideddiscussingLingardwithMrs。Traverswho，hethought，wasquiteintelligentenoughtoappreciatetheexactshadeofhisattitude。Ifthatshadewasfine，Mrs。Traverswasfine，too；andtherewasnoneedtodiscussthecoloursofthisadventure。
　　Moreover，sheherselfseemedtoavoidalldirectdiscussionoftheLingardelementintheirfate。D’Alcacerwasfineenoughtobeawarethatthosetwoseemedtounderstandeachotherinawaythatwasnotobviouseventothemselves。Wheneverhesawthemtogetherhewasalwaysmuchtemptedtoobservethem。Andheyieldedtothetemptation。Thefactofone’slifedependingonthephasesofanobscureactionauthorizesacertainlatitudeofbehaviour。Hehadseenthemtogetherrepeatedly，communingopenlyorapart，andtherewasintheirwayofjoiningeachother，intheirposesandtheirwaysofseparating，somethingspecialandcharacteristicandpertainingtothemselvesonly，asiftheyhadbeenmadeforeachother。
　　Whathecouldn’tunderstandwaswhyMrs。TraversshouldhaveputoffhisnaturalcuriosityastoherlatestconferencewiththeManofFatebyanincrediblestatementastothenatureoftheconversation。Talkaboutdresses，opera，people’snames。Hecouldn’ttakethisseriously。Shemighthaveinvented，hethought，somethingmoreplausible；orsimplyhavetoldhimthatthiswasnotforhimtoknow。Sheoughttohaveknownthathewouldnothavebeenoffended。Couldn’tshehaveseenalreadythatheacceptedthecomplexionofmysteryinherrelationtothatmancompletely，unquestionably；asthoughithadbeensomethingpreordainedfromtheverybeginningofthings？ButhewasnotannoyedwithMrs。Travers。Afterallitmighthavebeentrue。Shewouldtalkexactlyassheliked，andevenincredibly，ifitsopleasedher，andmakethemanhangonherlips。Andlikewiseshewascapableofmakingthemantalkaboutanythingbyapowerofinspirationforreasonssimpleorperverse。Opera！Dresses！
　　Yes——aboutShakespeareandthemusicalglasses！Foramerewhimorforthedeepestpurpose。Womenworthyofthenamewerelikethat。Theywereverywonderful。Theyrosetotheoccasionandsometimesabovetheoccasionwhenthingswereboundtooccurthatwouldbecomicortragic（asithappened）butgenerallychargedwithtroubleeventoinnocentbeholders。D’Alcacerthoughtthesethoughtswithoutbitternessandevenwithoutirony。Withhishalf—secretsocialreputationasamanofonegreatpassioninaworldofmereintrigueshelikedallwomen。Helikedthemintheirsentimentandintheirhardness，inthetragiccharacteroftheirfoolishorcleverimpulses，atwhichhelookedwithasortoftenderseriousness。
　　Hedidn’ttakeafavourableviewofthepositionbutheconsideredMrs。Travers’statementaboutoperasanddressesasawarningtokeepoffthesubject。Forthisreasonheremainedsilentthroughthemeal。
　　WhenthebustleofclearingawaythetablewasoverhestrolledtowardMrs。Traversandremarkedveryquietly：
　　"IthinkthatinkeepingawayfromusthiseveningtheManofFatewaswellinspired。WedinedlikealotofCarthusianmonks。"
　　"Youalludetooursilence？"
　　"Itwasmostscrupulous。Ifwehadtakenaneternalvowwecouldn’thavekeptitbetter。"
　　"Didyoufeelbored？"
　　"Pasdutout，"d’Alcacerassuredherwithwhimsicalgravity。"I
　　feltnothing。Isatinastateofblessedvacuity。IbelieveI
　　wasthehappiestofusthree。Unlessyou，too，Mrs。Travers……"
　　"It’sabsolutelynouseyourfishingformythoughts，Mr。
　　d’Alcacer。IfIweretoletyouseethemyouwouldbeappalled。"
　　"Thoughtsreallyarebutashapeoffeelings。Letmecongratulateyouontheimpassivemaskyoucanputonthosehorrorsyousayyounurseinyourbreast。Itwasimpossibletotellanythingbyyourface。"
　　"Youwillalwayssayflatteringthings。"
　　"Madame，myflatteriescomefromtheverybottomofmyheart。I
　　havegivenuplongagoalldesiretoplease。AndIwasnottryingtogetatyourthoughts。Whateverelseyoumayexpectfrommeyoumaycountonmyabsoluterespectforyourprivacy。ButIsupposewithamasksuchasyoucanmakeforyourselfyoureallydon’tcare。TheManofFate，Inoticed，isnotnearlyasgoodatitasyouare。"
　　"Whatapretentiousname。Doyoucallhimbyittohisface，Mr。
　　d’Alcacer？"
　　"No，Ihaven’tthecheek，"confessedd’Alcacer，equably。"And，besides，it’stoomomentousfordailyuse。Andheissosimplethathemightmistakeitforajokeandnothingcouldbefurtherfrommythoughts。Mrs。Travers，IwillconfesstoyouthatI
　　don’tfeeljocularintheleast。Butwhatcanheknowaboutpeopleofoursort？AndwhenIreflecthowlittlepeopleofoursortcanknowofsuchamanIamquitecontenttoaddresshimasCaptainLingard。It’scommonandsoothingandmostrespectableandsatisfactory；forCaptainisthemostemptyofalltitles。
　　WhatisaCaptain？AnybodycanbeaCaptain；andforLingardit’sanamelikeanyother。Whereaswhathedeservesissomethingspecial，significant，andexpressive，thatwouldmatchhisperson，hissimpleandromanticperson。"
　　HeperceivedthatMrs。Traverswaslookingathimintently。Theyhastenedtoturntheireyesawayfromeachother。
　　"Hewouldlikeyourappreciation，"Mrs。Traversletdropnegligently。
　　"Iamafraidhewoulddespiseit。"
　　"Despiseit！Why，thatsortofthingistheverybreathofhisnostrils。"
　　"Youseemtounderstandhim，Mrs。Travers。Womenhaveasingularcapacityforunderstanding。Imeansubjectsthatinterestthem；
　　becausewhentheirimaginationisstimulatedtheyarenotafraidoflettingitgo。Amanismoremistrustfulofhimself，butwomenarebornmuchmorereckless。Theypushonandonundertheprotectionofsecrecyandsilence，andthegreatertheobscurityofwhattheywishtoexplorethegreatertheircourage。"
　　"Doyoumeanseriouslytotellmethatyouconsidermeacreatureofdarkness？"
　　"Ispokeingeneral，"remonstratedd’Alcacer。"Anythingelsewouldhavebeenanimpertinence。Yes，obscurityiswomen’sbestfriend。Theirdaringlovesit；butasuddenflashoflightdisconcertsthem。Generallyspeaking，iftheydon’tgetexactlyatthetruththeyalwaysmanagetocomeprettyneartoit。"
　　Mrs。Travershadlistenedwithsilentattentionandsheallowedthesilencetocontinueforsometimeafterd’Alcacerhadceased。
　　Whenshespokeitwastosayinanunconcernedtonethatastothissubjectshehadhadspecialopportunities。Herself—possessedinterlocutormanagedtorepressamovementofrealcuriosityunderanassumptionofconventionalinterest。"Indeed，"
　　heexclaimed，politely。"Aspecialopportunity。Howdidyoumanagetocreateit？"
　　ThiswastoomuchforMrs。Travers。"I！Createit！"sheexclaimed，indignantly，butunderherbreath。"HowonearthdoyouthinkIcouldhavedoneit？"
　　Mr。d’Alcacer，asifcommuningwithhimself，washeardtomurmurunrepentantlythatindeedwomenseldomknewhowtheyhad"doneit，"towhichMrs。Traversinawearytonereturnedtheremarkthatnotwomenweredenseinthesameway。TothisMr。d’Alcacerassentedwithoutdifficulty。"Yes，ourbrandpresentsmorevarieties。This，fromacertainpointofview，isobviouslytoouradvantage。Weinterest……NotthatIimaginemyselfinterestingtoyou，Mrs。Travers。ButwhatabouttheManofFate？"
　　"Oh，yes，"breathedoutMrs。Travers。
　　"Isee！Immensely！"saidd’Alcacerinatoneofmysteriousunderstanding。"Washisstupiditysocolossal？"
　　"Itwasindistinguishablefromgreatvisionsthatwereinnosensemeanandmadeupforhimaworldofhisown。"
　　"Iguessedthatmuch，"mutteredd’Alcacertohimself。"Butthat，youknow，Mrs。Travers，thatisn’tgoodnewsatalltome。Worldofdreams，eh？That’sverybad，verydangerous。It’salmostfatal，Mrs。Travers。"
　　"Whyallthisdismay？Whydoyouobjecttoaworldofdreams？"
　　"BecauseIdisliketheprospectofbeingmadeasacrificeofbythoseMoors。Iamnotanoptimistlikeourfriendthere，"hecontinuedinalowtonenoddingtowardthedismalfigureofMr。
　　Travershuddledupinthechair。"Idon’tregardallthisasafarceandIhavediscoveredinmyselfastrongobjectiontohavingmythroatcutbythosegorgeousbarbariansafteralotoffatuoustalk。Don’taskmewhy，Mrs。Travers。Putitdowntoanabsurdweakness。"
　　Mrs。Traversmadeaslightmovementinherchair，raisingherhandstoherhead，andinthedimlightofthelanternsd’Alcacersawthemassofhercleargleaminghairfalldownandspreaditselfoverhershoulders。Sheseizedhalfofitinherhandswhichlookedverywhite，andwithherheadinclinedalittleononesideshebegantomakeaplait。
　　"Youareterrifying，"hesaidafterwatchingthemovementofherfingersforawhile。