bashful laugh: "You know, it seems very extraordinary that I
should be driving out with you like this."

He turned to look at me and in his kind voice:

"You will find everything extremely simple," he said. "So simple
that you will be quite able to hold your own. I suppose you know
that the world is selfish, I mean the majority of the people in it,
often unconsciously I must admit, and especially people with a
mission, with a fixed idea, with some fantastic object in view, or
even with only some fantastic illusion. That doesn't mean that
they have no scruples. And I don't know that at this moment I
myself am not one of them."

"That, of course, I can't say," I retorted.

"I haven't seen her for years," he said, "and in comparison with
what she was then she must be very grown up by now. From what we
heard from Mr. Blunt she had experiences which would have matured
her more than they would teach her. There are of course people
that are not teachable. I don't know that she is one of them. But
as to maturity that's quite another thing. Capacity for suffering
is developed in every human being worthy of the name."

"Captain Blunt doesn't seem to be a very happy person," I said.
"He seems to have a grudge against everybody. People make him
wince. The things they do, the things they say. He must be
awfully mature."

Mills gave me a sidelong look. It met mine of the same character