he said slowly, in very measured words, unaware that one must not
argue with a clergyman, "acknowledge and investigate every reality
they can find in the universe--and admit no phantoms. They believe
in everything that can be shown or proved to be natural and true;
but in nothing supernatural, that is to say, imaginary or non-
existent. They accept plain facts: they reject pure phantasies.
How beautiful those lilies are, Mrs. Monteith! such an exquisite
colour! Shall we go over and look at them?"

"Not just now," Frida answered, relieved at the appearance of
Martha with the tray in the distance. "Here's tea coming." She was
glad of the diversion, for she liked Bertram immensely, and she
could not help noticing how hopelessly he had been floundering all
that afternoon right into the very midst of what he himself would
have called their taboos and joss-business.

But Bertram was not well out of his troubles yet. Martha brought
the round tray--Oriental brass, finely chased with flowing Arabic
inscriptions--and laid it down on the dainty little rustic table.
Then she handed about the cups. Bertram rose to help her. "Mayn't
I do it for you?" he said, as politely as he would have said it to
a lady in her drawing-room.

"No, thank you, sir," Martha answered, turning red at the offer,
but with the imperturbable solemnity of the well-trained English
servant. She "knew her place," and resented the intrusion. But
Bertram had his own notions of politeness, too, which were not to
be lightly set aside for local class distinctions. He could not
see a pretty girl handing cups to guests without instinctively
rising from his seat to assist her. So, very much to Martha's