human
I beg your pardon,
gpt
Oh!
human
I beg your pardon, Iglesias repeated, raising his hat.
gpt
Excuse me, I did not see who it was.
human
How very odd! Serena remarked. She stood still in the middle of the path. Her eyes snapped. Her silk petticoat rustled. Serena was very particular about her petticoats. It gave her great moral and social support to hear them rustle.
gpt
How very odd! she said again.
human
Did you not know that I had come back?
gpt
It must be a great pleasure to your cousins to have you with them,
human
I wonder whether it is--I mean I wonder whether it is a pleasure to them, or whether they ask me out of a sense of duty. She paused, gazing at Mr. Iglesias.
gpt
Of course, I know George has a strong regard for me, and for Susan. It is only natural, as we are first cousins. But I am not sure about Rhoda. Of course we never heard of Rhoda until she married George.
human
She has made him an excellent wife,
gpt
I suppose she has, Serena said reflectively.
human
But I sometimes wonder whether, if George had married somebody else, it might not have been more satisfactory in some ways.
gpt
I wonder if he really sees that Rhoda is on a different level from us, and won't admit it; or whether he doesn't see. If he doesn't see, of course that means a good deal.
human
Do you usually go out walking in the morning?
gpt
We were always brought up to take a walk twice a day. Mamma was very particular about it. She believed that health had so much to do with regular exercise. Sometimes I wonder whether she did not carry that too far. But, of course, Susan is very strong, much stronger than I am. I believe she would have been strong in any case, even if mamma had not insisted on our taking so much exercise. Serena paused.
human
But I did not know you went out in the morning. That is, I mean I have never seen you go out before.
gpt
Indeed,
human
No, she said;
gpt
Again she paused, adding reflectively:
human
It really seems rather odd that neither George nor Rhoda should have told you that I had come back.