It was exceedingly broad, and lined on both sides with imposing
structures whose architecture was entirely strange to Billie. She
would liked to have examined them all in detail; but she had no
control over her agent, who straightway walked down a short flight
of steps and thence to a sidewalk.

Here Billie became perfectly willing to neglect the architecture.
People were coming and going; people apparently quite as human as
herself. Except for a certain gorgeous voluminousness of dress, they
seemed for the most part simply men and women of affairs.

For it was comparatively easy to distinguish the sexes. The women's
garments, while not making any display of the strictly feminine
lines, nevertheless did not attempt to disguise them. Billie saw
that loose breeches had completely displaced the skirt with these
women; while the men invariably wore either knickerbockers or some
other form of short trousers; so that the general effect was very
youthful. She saw no men with beards, although several wore their
hair long, down to their shoulders, as though to compensate for
those women who chose to wear theirs short.

The surgeon seemed to have more leisure than most doctors. She stood
for some minutes, greeting perhaps a score of passers-by, all of
whom seemed to be proud of the acquaintance. Presently, however, the
sidewalk became temporarily clear of pedestrians; and then Billie
heard the surgeon mutter something to herself, such as was past all
understanding at the time:

"The fools! The poor, ignorant cattle!"