oilskins and fell to wiping a pair of motor-goggles while his eyes
maintained a dark glance, too intense to flash, on the women on the
platform. "How long he is looking at them!" she said to herself
presently. "No doubt he is taken up by Mrs. Mark Lyle. I believe such
men are very susceptible to beautiful women. I hope," she continued with
sudden bitterness, "he is as susceptible to spiritual beauty and will
take heed of Mrs. Ormiston!" With that, she tried herself to look at
Mrs. Ormiston, but found she could not help watching the clever way he
went on cleaning the goggles while his eyes and attention were fixed
otherwhere. There was something ill-tempered about his movements which
made her want to go dancingly across and say teasing things to him. Yet
when a smile at some private thought suggested by the speech broke his
attention, and he began to look round the hall, she was filled with
panic at the prospect of meeting his eyes. She did not permit herself
irrational emotions, so she pretended that what she was feeling was not
terror of this man, but the anger of a feminist against all men, and
stared fiercely at the platform, crying out silently: "What have I to do
with this man? I will have nothing to do with any man until I am great.
Then I suppose I will have to use them as pawns in my political and
financial intrigues."

Through this gaping at the client from Rio she had missed the chairman's
speech. Dr. Munro had just sat down. Her sensible square face looked red
and stern, as though she had just been obliged to smack someone, and
from the tart brevity of the applause it was evident that that was what
she had been doing. This rupture of the bright occasion struck Ellen,
who found herself suddenly given over to irritations, as characteristic
of the harshness of Edinburgh life. Here was a cause so beautiful in its
affirmation of freedom that it should have been served only by the
bravery of dignified women and speeches lucent with reason and