It happened by ill luck to be a volume of Darwin that Mrs.Lee had just borrowed from the library of Congress.
"Do you understand this sort of thing ?" asked the Senator abruptly, in a tone that suggested a sneer.
"Not very well," replied Mrs.Lee, rather curtly.
"Why do you want to understand it ?" persisted the Senator.

"What good will it do you ?" "Perhaps it will teach us to be modest," answered Madeleine, quite equal to the occasion.
"Because it says we descend from monkeys ?" rejoined the Senator, roughly.
"Do you think you are descended from monkeys ?" "Why not ?" said Madeleine.
"Why not ?" repeated Ratcliffe, laughing harshly.

"I don't like the connection.

Do you mean to introduce your distant relations into society ?" "They would bring more amusement into it than most of its present members," rejoined Mrs.Lee, with a gentle smile that threatened mischief.

But Ratcliffe would not be warned; on the contrary, the only effect of Mrs.Lee's defiance was to exasperate his ill-temper, and whenever he lost his temper he became senatorial and Websterian.