I could not believe it and accused my own speculations, if not of entire error (they had an element of truth), yet of inadequacy. In fact a doubt had begun to creep into my mind. Never in my life had I heard so many sound reasons for doing a thing that was obviously quite uncalled for--unless there was one other reason still--a reason not plausible, nor producible, but compelling. Yet what? For I was convinced that the man had no hold, that she was not in the least afraid of Powers. "I hate your standing opposite me and thinking about me," remarked Jenny suddenly. "I'm sure it's not comfortable, and I don't think it's polite. Besides, after all, it's possible that you might find out something!" "Surely that 'Besides' is superfluous, anyhow?" "I don't know--I don't quite trust you. But shall I tell you your mistake? You're too ready to think that I have a reason for everything I do. You're wrong. Where reason comes in with me is about the things I don't do. If you reason about things, most of them look either dull or dangerous. So you let them alone. But if you don't reason, you chance it--either the dullness or the danger, as the case may be." "A juggle with words! You reason all the same." "Not always. Sometimes you're--driven." On her face was a look almost as if she were being driven. I fancied that I might have said too much about deliberate exercises of power in my conversation with the Rector. "I suppose you'd explain that, if you wished to," I remarked after a pause. "You appear to be as free from being driven as most people. You're pretty independent!" "I should explain it if I wished--perhaps even if I could. But do you always find it easy to explain yourself--even to yourself, to say nothing of other people?" "It seems to me that you've only got yourself to please." "And it also seems to you that that would be very easy?" "Now you're in one of your fencing moods--there's no plain English to be got out of you." "Fencing is useful to parry thrusts, Austin." "Heavens, have I been making thrusts at you? You mean about that miserable Powers?" She sat there looking at me, with the mystery smile on her lips; but her brow was knit. "Yes, about Powers," she said--after a pause, but without hesitation. The manner of her answer said plainly "Call it about Powers--it is about something else." So I think she meant me to read it. She told me that there was some trouble lest, suspecting but not knowing, I should make wild thrusts and wound her blindly. "No one but you would put up with such an impertinent retainer," I said. "You always stop when I want you to. And I rather like--sometimes--to try over my feelings and ideas in talk. One gets a kind of outside look at them in that way." She broke into a little laugh. "And I must keep you in a good temper, because I've a favor to ask. Are we going to be terribly busy in the immediate future?" "I should think so--with your Institute!"