But I will venture to make a little suggestion with regard to the
natives in the mean time. They are not proud, but they are very
sensitive, and if you fail in any point of consideration, they will
understand that you do not want their hospitality."
"I imagine our own people will be able to look after us," she answered
quite as nastily. "We do not propose to be dependent on them. We can pay
our way here as we do elsewhere."
"The experiment will be worth trying," I said. "Come, Aristides!" and I
took the poor fellow away with me to our van. Mr. Thrall made some
hopeless little movements towards us, but I would not stop or even look
back. When we got into the van, I made Aristides put on the full power,
and fell back into my seat and cried a while, and then I scolded him
because he would not scold me, and went on in a really scandalous way. It
must have been a revelation to him, but he only smoothed me on the
shoulder and said, "Poor Eveleth, poor Eveleth," till I thought I should
scream; but it ended in my falling on his neck, and saying I knew I was
horrid, and what did he want me to do?
After I calmed down into something like rationality, he said he thought
we had perhaps done the best thing we could for those people in leaving
them to themselves, for they could come to no possible harm among the
neighbors.
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