This was her world.

A half-savage world with its uncouth army of black dependents.
Tom's words still rankled.

Betty's temper flared up belligerently as she recalled them.

He had evidently meant to insinuate that Charley had lied outright when he told her the motive for the attack, and he had followed it up by that covert slur on his character.

Charley's devotion was the thing that redeemed the dull monotony of existence.