"I have known very few men," I said.
"Really!" she said. "I suppose you're a sensible woman."
"Ah, don't say that! No woman wants to be thought that."
"I wish I had more sense," she said with a sigh. "It's high time. There's nothing in this game, really. But somehow, without a lot of men running in and out, the world would seem very empty to me. Do you remember the old song:
"'Reuben, Reuben, I've been thinking,
What a queer wurruld this would be,
If the men were all transported
Far beyond the Northern sea.'"
"I have heard it," I said.
"You're too young to remember when it was all the rage," said Mrs. Dartrey.
"Too young!" I exclaimed. "I am certainly as old as you."
"Ah, my dear lady, if you knew!" she cried. "But I shan't tell you.... Not that I care much, either. For youth an
