im. "--What can I do for you? It is not easy to tell!"

"Tie my leg on, of course, you fool! Can't you see it is all but off?
Heigho, my dancing days!"

She looked about with her eyeless sockets and found a piece of fibrous
grass, with which she proceeded to bind together the adjoining parts
that had formed the knee. When she had done, he gave one or two
carefully tentative stamps.

"You used to stamp rather differently, my lord!" she said, as she rose
from her knees.

"Eh? what!--Now I look at you again, it seems to me I used to hate
you!--Eh?"

"Naturally, my lord! You hated a good many people!--your wife, of
course, among the rest!"

"Ah, I begin, I be-gin---- But--I must have been a long time
somewhere!--I really forget!--There! your damned, miserable bit of grass
is breaking!--We used to get on PRETTY well together--eh?"

"Not that I remember, my lord. The only happy moments I had in your
company were scattered over the first week of our marriage."

"Was that the way of it? Ha! ha!--Well, it's over now, thank goodness!"

"I wish I could believe it! Why were we sitting there in that carriage
together? It wakes apprehension!"

"I think we were divorced, my lady!"

"Hardly enough: we are still together!"

"A sad truth, but capable of remedy: the forest seems of some extent!"

"I doubt! I doubt!"

"I am sorry I cannot think of a compliment to pay you--without lying,
that is. To judge by your figure and complexion you have lived hard
since I saw you last! I cannot surely be QUITE so naked as your
ladyship!--I beg your pardon, madam! I trust you will take it I am
but jesting in a dream! It is of no consequence, however; dreaming
or waking, all's one--all merest appearance! You can't be certain of
anything, and that's as good as knowing there is nothing! Life may teach
any fool that!"

"It has taught me the fool I was to love you!"

"You were not the only fool to do that! Women had a trick of falling in
love with me:--I had forgotten that you were one of them!" "I did love
you, my lord--a little--at one time!"

"Ah, there was your mistake, my lady! You should have loved me much,
loved me devotedly, loved me savagely--loved me eternally! Then I should
have tired of you the sooner, and not hated you so much afterward!--But
let bygones be bygones!--WHERE are we? Locality is the question! To be
or not to be, is NOT the question!"

"We are in the other world, I presume!"

"Granted!--but in which or wha