"Have you any reason to love mankind?"
I did not know what kind of an answer she wanted, so I had to think it
out. "I do not love mankind, but I have loved a man. I don't have to
think about mankind."
"Do you approve of this world?"
"If I worry about the World, will that get me two eggs for my
_dejeuner_? I don't love mankind and I don't love the World. When I
think I like to think about something real. And you don't need to look
as if you didn't understand when I say 'real,' you know exactly what
I mean. And you can spell the name of some big nothing with a capital
letter if you want, that doesn't give it any claim on me!"
"Would you object to changing everything?"
I wondered what was the object of her questioning.
"I would object if it were just for the sake of changing it!" I told
her. "But if it would rid me of my headaches and bring me a lover, I
would not object! But you are a witch. You say you have great Power.
Why don't you use it? You say you decided years ago to change the
world! It has not been changed, unless...." A great suspicion opened in
me and I could not go on.
"No," said the old witch after a minute, although I had not spoken
further. "No, I didn't make the War. It was a logical, reasonable war!"
She smiled her ugly, wistful smile.
I was sorry. She suffered when I shrank away. For years all men and
women had been repelled by her and she had been lonely. "But why have
you not acted?"
"Because I cannot decide," she whimpered. "I try and try; and when it
comes to the point of turning the ring, I always have another idea.
You see, anything that I can think I can have. I cannot choose because
there is so much to choose from. Every day for years I have been
tortured with indecision. I have several times given the ring to men,
but none could decide. The ring always came back." She dried her eyes
and noisily sipped some coffee. "I am not very imaginative," she said.
"One needs a great imagination!
"Maybe you can help me decide."
"Aha!" I thought. "Now we begin to get down to business!"