white draperies round her shoulders with a statuesque grace, and
lifted her head, smiling.

"Empty nutshells are a very good description of men who come after a
woman for her money"--she observed, placidly--"and it's quite
natural that the woman should throw them over her shoulder. There's
nothing in them--not even a flavour! No--never fooled you,--you
fooled yourself--you are fooling yourself now, only you don't know
it. But there!--let's finish talking! I like the romance of the
situation--you in your shirt-sleeves on a hill in California, and I
in silken stuff and diamonds paying you a moonlight visit--it's
really quite novel and charming!--but it can't go on for ever! Just
now you said you wanted me to know a thing or two, and I presume you
have explained yourself. What you think or what you don't think
about women doesn't interest me. I'm one of the 'wastes on the
wind!' _I_ shall not aid in the continuation of the race,--heaven
forbid! The race is too stupid and too miserable to merit
continuance. Everything has been done for it that can be done, over
and over again, from the beginning--till now,--and now--NOW!" She
paused, and despite himself the tone of her voice sent a thrill
through his blood of something like fear.

"NOW?--well! What NOW?" he demanded.

She lifted one hand and pointed upwards. Her face in the moonbeams
looked austere and almost spectral in outline.

"Now--the Change!" she answered--"The Change when all things shall
be made new!"