The Spectator., 1915-03-05
CHAPTER VIII.
A Woman's Reason.

Elsa stared at the vacant doorway. She recognized only sense of bewil- derment. This was not one of those childish flashes of rudeness that had amused, annoyed and mystified her. She had hurt him. And how? They had been together three days on the boat, and once he had taken tea with her in Rangoon. She could find poth- ing save that she had been kind to him when he most needed kindness, and that she had not been stupidly curious, only sympathetically so. He interested her and held that interest because he was a type unlike anything she had met outside the covers of book. He was so big and strong, and yet so boy ish. He had given her visions of the character which had carried his man. hood through all these years of strife and bitterness and temptation. And because of this she had shown him that she had taken it for granted that whatever he had done in the past had not put him beyond the pale of her friendship. There had been no de- grading entanglements. and women forgive or condone all other trans gressions.
 And what had she just said or done to put that look of dumb agony in his face? She swung impatiently from the rail and began to promenade the deck. still cluttered with luggage over which the Lascar stewards were moil- ing. Many glance followed the sup pie pleasing figure of the girl as she passed round and round the deck. Other promenaders stepped aside or permitted her to pass between. The resolute uplift of the chin, and the staring dark eyes which saw but inner visions, impressed them with the fact that 1t would be wiser to step aside voluntarily. There were some. how ever who considered that they had as much right to the deck as she. Before them she would stop shortly, and as a current breaks and passes each side of an immovable object, they. too. gave way.
 The colonel fussed and fumed. and his three spinster charges drew their pale lips into thinner paler lips.
 These Americans are impossible!"
 And it is seandalous the way the young women travel alone, One can never tell what they are"
 "Humph! Brag and assertiveness And there's that rufiian who came down the river. Whats he doing on the same boat? What"'
 Elsa became aware of their presence at the fifth turn. She nodded absently Being immersed in the sea of conjec- ture regarding 'Warringtons behavior. the colonels glare did nut rouse in her the sense of impending disaster.
 The first gong for dinner boomed The echoing vail spoke in the voice |, of the East. of it's dalliance, its con- tent to drift in sargasso sea of en- tangling habits and desires, of its fa- talism and inertia. It did not hearten ohe or excite hunger. Elsa would rather have lain down in her Canton lou ging chair. The dining saloon held two Hong tables. only one Of which was in commission. the starboard. The saloon was una.tractive. A punlSa stretched from one end of the table so the other, and swung indolently to and fro. whining mysteriously, sometimes sebsiding altogether and then Tapping hystericaiiy and setting the women's hair awry.
 Elsa and Martha were seated some | where between the head and the foot | of the table. The personally-conduct cd surrounded them. and gabbed in- cessantly during the meal of what they | had seen, of what they were going to see, and of what they had missed by not going with the other agency's | party Elsa's sympathy went our to the tired and faded conductor |