his bowler indignantly up into the trees. He would wait

"Let us share the joke," said Maskull.

"Oh, you'll understand it later."

"If you play pranks with me, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Haunte laughed again. "I won't be the one to play pranks. Sullenbode will be deeply obliged to me. If I don't visit her myself as often as she would like, I'm always glad to serve her in other ways.... Well, you shall have your boat ride."

Maskull rubbed his nose doubtfully. "If the sexes hate one another in your land, is it because passion is weaker, or stronger?"

"In other parts of the world there is soft passion, but in Lichstorm there is hard passion."

"But what do you call hard passion?"

"Where men are called to women by pain, and not pleasure."