'Why wouldn't you bathe? he asked her again, later, when he was once more the properly-dressed young Englishman. She hesitated a moment before answering, opposing his persistence. 'Because I didn't like the crowd, she replied. He laughed, her phrase seemed to re-echo in his consciousness. The flavour of her slang was piquant to him. Whether he would or not, she signified the real world to him.