That did not sound like the name the young man had offered in the tower of the water-clock.

She remained by the door until the walls of the city swallowed the bobbing lantern.

Then she went into the office.
"What is a sing-song girl ?" she asked.
The manager twisted his moustache.

"The same as a Japanese geisha girl." "And what is a geisha girl ?" Not to have heard of the geisha! It was as if she had asked: "What is Paris ?" What manner of tourist was this who had heard neither of the geisha of Japan nor of the sing-song girl of China?
Before he could marshal the necessary phrases to explain, Ruth herself indicated her thought.
"A bad girl ?" She put the question as she would have put any question--level-eyed and level-toned.
After a series of mental gymnastics--occupying the space of a few seconds--it came to him with a shock that here was a new specimen of the species.

At the same time he comprehended that she was as pure and lovely as the white orchid of Borneo and that she did not carry that ridiculous shield called false modesty.