The surrey had left the sight of the sea. The pale road stretched straight before them, going on until it touched the cobalt sky. On either hand stood growing walls, dense and thorny as those about the Sleeping Beauty's palace--all manner of trees, silver palm and thatch palm, tamarind, poison-wood and plum, ink-berry and jack-bush, bound all together with smilax and many another vine. At long intervals occurred an opening, a ragged space and a hut or cabin, with an odour, too languid-sweet, of orange blossoms, and a vision of black children. The walls closed in again sombrely. The road would have been a little dreary but for the sky and the sun and the jewel-fine air. "I suppose," said Hagar, "that there is a certain Brahmin-like attitude to be overcome. I suppose that to take wallet and staff and go with the mass upon the day's march, encouraging, lifting, helping, pointing forward, bearing with the others, is a nobler thing than to run ahead upon your own path and cry back to the throng, 'Why are you not here as well?' I suppose that ... and yet there are times when I am Nietzschean, too. I can be opposites." "Yes; that is what bewilders," said Denny. "To include contradictories and irreconcilables--to be both centripetal and centrifugal--to be in one brain Socialist and Individualist!... But the greatest among mankind have found themselves able. They have been farthest ahead, and yet they have always seemed to be in the midst." The sun sank low, the white road grew pallid. "Better turn presently," said Hagar. "When we get to that palm. How wonderful it stands against the sky!--I never thought that I should see palm trees." When they came to it, the negro driver turned the horse. Roll of wheel and slow thud of hoofs they went dreamily back toward Nassau. The walls on either hand were darkening; the sky was putting on a splendid dress. "Years and years now I have been away," said Hagar. "In the spring I am going home." "Home to--to Gilead Balm?" "At first, yes, I think ... then, I do not know. I have been away so long. There are people in New York I want to see--old friends--women. Do you chance to know Elizabeth Eden?" "Yes, I know her. She's one of the blessed." After a moment he said abruptly, "I want you to know Rose Darragh." "Yes, I want to," said Hagar simply. They came before long to the shell house. "Let us stop and get some shells."