CHAPTERI
Light,enteringthevastroom——aroomsohighthatitscarvedceilingrefuseditselftoexactscrutiny——travelled,withthewistful,coldcuriosityofthedawn,overafantasticstorehouseofTime。Light,unaccompaniedbytheprejudiceofhumaneyes,madestrangerevelationofincongruities,asthoughilluminatingthedispassionatemarchofhistory。
Forinthisdininghall——oneofthefinestinEngland——theCaradocfamilyhadforcenturiesassembledthetrophiesandrecordsoftheirexistence。Roundaboutthisdininghalltheyhadbuiltandpulleddownandrestored,untiltherestofMonklandCourtpresentedsomeaspectofhomogeneity。Herealonetheyhadleftvirgintheworkoftheoldquasi—monasticbuilders,andwithinitunconsciouslydepositedtheirsouls。Fortherewerehere,meetingtheeyesoflight,allthoserathertouchingevidencesofman'sdesiretopersistforever,thoseshellsofhisformerbodies,thefetishesandqueerproofsofhisfaiths,togetherwiththeremorselessdemonstrationoftheirtreatmentatthehandsofTime。
Theannalistmightherehavefoundallhisneededconfirmations;theanalystfromthismaterialformedthedueequationofhighbirth;thephilosophertracedthecourseofaristocracy,fromitsprimevalriseincrudestrengthorsubtlety,throughcenturiesofpower,topicturesquedecadence,andthebeginningsofitslaststand。Eventheartistmighthere,perchance,haveseizedonthedryineffablepervadingspirit,asonevisitinganoldcathedralseemstoscentouttheconstrictionofitsheart。
>FromthelegendaryswordofthatWelshchieftainwhobyanactofhigh,rewardedtreacheryhadpassedintothefavouroftheconqueringWilliam,andreceived,withthewidowofaNorman,manylandsinDevonshire,totheCuppurchasedforGeoffreyCaradoc;presentEarlofValleys,bysubscriptionofhisDevonshiretenantsontheoccasionofhismarriagewiththeLadyGertrudeSemmering——noinsigniawereabsent,savethefamilyportraitsinthegalleryofValleysHouseinLondon。Therewasevenanancientduplicateofthatyellowtatteredscrollroyally,reconfirminglandsandtitletoJohn,themostdistinguishedofalltheCaradocs,whohadunfortunatelyneglectedtobeborninwedlock,byoneofthosehumorousomissionstobefoundinthegenealogiesofmostoldfamilies。Yes,itwasthere,almostcynicallyhunginacorner;forthisincident,thoughnodoubtaburningquestioninthefifteenthcentury,wasnowbutstapleforanironicallittletale,inviewofthefactthatdescendantsofJohn's'own'brotherEdmundwereundoubtedlytobefoundamongthecottagersofaparishnotfardistant。
Light,glancingfromthesuitsofarmourtothetigerskinsbeneaththem,broughtfromIndiabutayearagobyBertieCaradoc,theyoungerson,seemedrecording,howthose,whohadoncebeenforemostbyvirtueofthatsimplelawofNaturewhichcrownstheadventuringandstrong,nowbeingalmostwashedasideoutofthemainstreamofnationallife,werecompelledtodeviseadventure,lesttheyshouldlosebeliefintheirownstrength。
Theunsparinglightofthatfirsthalf—hourofsummermorningrecordedmanyotherchanges,wanderingfromausteretapestriestothevelvetycarpets,anddraggingfromthecontrastsureproofofacommonsensewhichdeniedtothepresentEarlandCountesstheasceticismsofthepast。Andthenitseemedtoloseinterestinthiscriticaljourney,asthoughlongingtoclotheallinwitchery。Forthesunhadrisen,andthroughtheEasternwindowscamepouringitslevelandmysteriousjoy。Andwithit,passinginatanopenlattice,cameawildbeetosettleamongtheflowersonthetableathwarttheEasternend,usedwhentherewasonlyasmallpartyinthehouse。Thehoursfledonsilent,tillthesunwashigh,andthefirstvisitorscame——threemaids,rosy,notsilent,bringingbrushes。
Theypassed,andwerefollowedbytwofootmen——scoutsofthebreakfastbrigade,whostoodforamomentprofessionallydoingnothing,thensoberlycommencedtosetthetable。Thencamealittlegirlofsix,toseeiftherewereanythingexciting——littleAnnShropton,childofSirWilliamShroptonbyhismarriagewithLadyAgatha,andeldestdaughterofthehouse,theonlyoneofthefouryoungCaradocsasyetwedded。Shecameontiptoe,thinkingtosurprisewhateverwasthere。Shehadabroadlittleface,andwidefrankhazeleyesoveralittlenosethatcameoutstraightandsudden。Encircledbyaloosebeltplacedfarbelowthewaistofherhollandfrock,asiftosymbolizefreedom,sheseemedtothinkeverythinginlifegoodfun。Andsoonshefoundtheexcitingthing。
"Here'sabumblebee,William。DoyouthinkIcouldtameitinmylittleglassbog？"
"No,Idon't,MissAnn;andlookout,you'llbestung！"
"Itwouldn'tstingme。"
"Whynot？"
"Becauseitwouldn't。"
"Ofcourse——ifyousayso————"
"Whattimeisthemotorordered？"
"Nineo'clock。"
"I'mgoingwithGrandpapaasfarasthegate。"
"Supposehesaysyou'renot？"
"Well,thenIshallgoallthesame。"
"Isee。"
"ImightgoallthewaywithhimtoLondon！IsAuntieBabsgoing？"
"No,Idon'tthinkanybodyisgoingwithhislordship。"
"Iwould,ifshewere。William！"
"Yes。"
"IsUncleEustacesuretobeelected？"
"Ofcourseheis。"
"Doyouthinkhe'llbeagoodMemberofParliament？"
"LordMiltounisveryclever,MissAnn。"
"Ishe？"
"Well,don'tyouthinkso？"
"DoesCharlesthinkso？"
"Askhim。"
"William！"
"Yes。"
"Idon'tlikeLondon。Ilikehere,andIlikeCotton,andIlikehomeprettywell,andIlovePendridny——and——IlikeRavensham。"
"HislordshipisgoingtoRavenshamto—dayonhiswayup,Iheardsay。"
"Oh！thenhe'llseegreat—granny。William————"
"Here'sMissWallace。"
>Fromthedoorwayaladywithabroadpalepatientfacesaid:
"Come,Ann。"
"Allright！Hallo,Simmons！"
Theenteringbutlerreplied:
"Hallo,MissAnn！"
"I'vegottogo。"
"I'msurewe'reverysorry。"
"Yes。"
Thedoorbangedfaintly,andinthegreatroomrosethebusysilenceofthoseminuteswhichprecederepasts。Suddenlythefourmenbythebreakfastfablestoodback。LordValleyshadcomein。
Heapproachedslowly,readingabluepaper,withhislevelgreyeyesdividedbyalittleuncharacteristicfrown。Hehadatannedyetruddy,decisivelyshapedface,withcrisphairandmoustachebeginningtogoiron—grey——thefaceofamanwhoknowshisownmindandiscontentedwiththatknowledge。Hisfiguretoo,well—bracedandupright,withthebackoftheheadcarriedlikeasoldier's,confirmedtheimpression,notsomuchofself—sufficiency,asofthesufficiencyofhishabitsoflifeandthought。Andtherewasapparentaboutallhismovementsthatpeculiarunconsciousnessofhissurroundingswhichcomestothosewholiveagreatdealinthepubliceye,havethematerialmachineryofexistenceplacedexactlytotheirhands,andneverneedtoconsiderwhatothersthinkofthem。Takinghisseat,andstillperusingthepaper,heatoncebegantoeatwhatwasputbeforehim;thennoticingthathiseldestdaughterhadcomeinandwassittingdownbesidehim,hesaid:
"Borehavingtogoupinsuchweather！"
"IsitaCabinetmeeting？"
"Yes。Thisconfoundedbusinessoftheballoons。"ButtheratheranxiousdarkeyesofAgatha'sdelicatenarrowfaceweretakinginthedetailsofatrayforkeepingdisheswarmonasideboard,andshewasthinking:"IbelievethatwouldbebetterthantheonesI'vegot,afterall。IfWilliamwouldonlysaywhetherhereallylikestheselargetraysbetterthansinglehot—waterdishes！"Shecontrivedhow—
evertoaskinhergentlevoice——forallherwordsandmovementsweregentle,evenalittletimid,tillanythingappearedtothreatenthewelfareofherhusbandorchildren:
"DoyouthinkthiswarscaregoodforEustace'sprospects,Father？"
Butherfatherdidnotanswer;hewasgreetinganew—comer,atall,fine—lookingyoungman,withdarkhairandafairmoustache,betweenwhomandhimselftherewasnorelationship,yetacertainnegativeresemblance。ClaudFresnay,ViscountHarbinger,wasindeedalsoalittleofwhatiscalledthe'Norman'type——havingacertainfirmregularityoffeature,andaslightaquilinityofnosehighuponthebridge——butthatwhichintheeldermanseemedtoindicateonlyanunconsciousacceptanceofselfasastandard,intheyoungermangaveanimpressionatoncemoreassertiveandmoreuneasy,asthoughhewerealittleafraidofnotchaffingsomethingallthetime。
Behindhimhadcomeinatallwoman,offullfigureandfinepresence,withhairstillbrown——LadyValleysherself。Thoughhereldestsonwasthirty,shewas,herself,stilllittlemorethanfifty。Fromhervoice,manner,andwholepersonality,onemightsuspectthatshehadbeenanacknowledgedbeauty;buttherewasnowmorethanasuspicionofmaturityaboutheralmostjovialface,withitsfullgrey—blueeyes;andcoarsenedcomplexion。Goodcomrade,andessentially'womanoftheworld,'waswrittenoneverylineofher,andineverytoneofhervoice。Shewasindeedafiguresuggestiveofopenairandgenerousliving,endowedwithabundantenergy,andnotdevoidofhumour。ItwasshewhoansweredAgatha'sremark。
"Ofcourse,mydear,theverybestthingpossible。"
LordHarbingerchimedin:
"Bytheway,Brabrook'sgoingtospeakonit。Didyoueverhearhim,LadyAgatha？'Mr。Speaker,Sir,Irise——andwithmerisesthedemocraticprinciple————'"
ButAgathaonlysmiled,forshewasthinking:
"IfIletAnngoasfarasthegate,she'llonlymakeitastepping—
stonetosomethingelseto—morrow。"Takingnointerestinpublicaffairs,herinheritedcravingforcommandhadresortedforexpressiontoameticulousorderingofhouseholdmatters。Itwasindeedacultwithher,apassion——asthoughshefeltherselfasortoffigureheadtonationaldomesticity;theleaderofapatrioticmovement。
LordValleys,havingfinishedwhatseemednecessary,arose。
"Anymessagetoyourmother,Gertrude？"
"No,Iwrotelastnight。"
"TellMiltountokeep——aneyeonthatMr。Courtier。Iheardhimspeakoneday——he'srathergood。"
LadyValleys,whohadnotyetsatdown,accompaniedherhusbandtothedoor。
"Bytheway,I'vetoldMotheraboutthiswoman,Geoff。"
"Wasitnecessary？"
"Well,Ithinkso;I'muneasy——afterall,MotherhassomeinfluencewithMiltoun。"
LordValleysshruggedhisshoulders,andslightlysqueezinghiswife'sarm,wentout。
Thoughhimselfvaguelyuneasyonthatverysubject,hewasamanwhodidnotgotomeetdisturbance。Hehadthenerveswhichseemtobenonervesatall——especiallyfoundinthoseofhisclasswhohavemuchtodowithhorses。Hetemperamentallyregardedtheevilofthedayasquitesufficienttoit。Moreover,hiseldestsonwasariddlethathehadlonggivenup,sofaraswomenwereconcerned。
Emergingintotheouterhall,helingeredamoment,rememberingthathehadnotseenhisyoungerandfavouritedaughter。
"LadyBarbaradownyet？"Hearingthatshewasnot,heslippedintothemotorcoatheldforhimbySimmons,andsteppedoutunderthewhiteportico,decoratedbytheCaradochawksinstone。
ThevoiceoflittleAnnreachedhim,clearandhighabovethesmotheredwhirringofthecar。
"Comeon,Grandpapa！"
LordValleysgrimacedbeneathhiscrispmoustache——thewordgrandpapaalwaysfellqueerlyontheearsofonewhowasbutfifty—six,andbynomeansfeltit——andjerkinghisglovedhandtowardsAnn,hesaid:
"Senddowntothelodgegateforthis。"
ThevoiceoflittleAnnansweredloudly:
"No;I'mcomingbackbymyself。"
Thecarstarting,drowneddiscussion。
LordValleys,motoring,somewhatpatheticallyillustratedtheinvasionofinstitutionsbytheirdestroyer,Science。Asupporteroftheturf,andnotlongsinceMasterofFoxhounds,mostofwhosesoul（outsidepolitics）wasinhorses,hehadbeen,asitwere,compelledbycommonsense,notonlytotolerate,buttotakeupandevenpressforwardthecauseoftheirsupplanters。Hisinstinctofself—
preservationwassecretlyatwork,hurryinghimtohisowndestruction;forcinghimtopersuadehimselfthatscienceandhersuccessivevictoriesoverbrutenaturecouldbewooedintotheserviceofaprestigewhichrestedonacrystallizedandstationarybase。Allthiskeepingpacewiththetimes,thisimmersionintheresultsofmoderndiscoveries,thisspeeding—upofexistencesothatitwasallsurfaceandlittleroot——theincreasingvolatility,cosmopolitanism,andevencommercialismofhislife,onwhichheratherpridedhimselfasamanoftheworld——was,withasecrecytoodeepforhisperception,cuttingatthealoofnesslogicallydemandedofoneinhisposition。Stubborn,andnotspirituallysubtle,thoughbynomeansdullinpracticalmatters,hewasresolutelylettingthewatersbearhimon,holdingthetillerfirmly,withoutperceivingthathewasinthevortexofawhirlpool。Indeed,hiscommonsensecontinuallyimpelledhim,againstthesortofreactionaryismofwhichhissonMiltounhadsomuch,tothateasierreactionaryism,which,livingonitsspiritualcapital,makeswhatmaterialcapitalitcanoutofitsenemy,Progress。
Hedrovethecarhimself,shrewdandself—contained,sittingeasily,withhiscapwelldrawnoverthosesteadyeyes;andthoughthisunexpectedmeetingoftheCabinetintheWhitsuntiderecesswasnotonlyanuisance,butgavefoodforanxiety,hewasfullyabletoenjoytheswiftsmoothmovementthroughthesummerair,whichmethimwithsuchfriendlysweetnessunderthegreattreesofthelongavenue。Besidehim,littleAnnwassilent,withherlegsstuckoutratherwideapart。Motoringwasanewexcitement,forathomeitwasforbidden;andameditativeraptureshoneinherwideeyesabovehersuddenlittlenose。Onlyonceshespoke,whenclosetothelodgethecarsloweddown,andtheypassedthelodge—keeper'slittledaughter。
"Hallo,Susie！"
Therewasnoanswer,butthelookonSusie'ssmallpalefacewassohumbleandadoringthatLordValleys,notaveryobservantman,noticeditwithasortofsatisfaction。"Yes,"hethought,somewhatirrelevantly,"thecountryissoundatheart！"
CHAPTERII
AtRavenshamHouseonthebordersofRichmondPark,suburbanseatoftheCasterleyfamily,eversinceitbecameusualtohavearesidencewithineasydrivingdistanceofWestminster——inalargeconservatoryadjoiningthehall,LadyCasterleystoodinfrontofsomeJapaneselilies。Shewasaslender,shortoldwoman,withanivory—colouredface,athinnose,andkeeneyeshalf—veiledbydelicatewrinkledlids。Verystill,inhergreydress,andwithgreyhair,shegavetheimpressionofalittlefigurecarvedoutoffine,wornsteel。
Herfirm,spideryhandheldaletterwritteninfreesomewhatsprawlingstyle:
MONKLANDCOURT,"DEVON。
"MYDEAR,MOTHER,"Geoffreyismotoringupto—morrow。He'lllookinonyouonthewayifhecan。Thisnewwarscarehastakenhimup。Ishan'tbeinTownmyselftillMiltoun'selectionisover。Thefactis,Idaren'tleavehimdownherealone。Heseeshis'Anonyma'everyday。ThatMr。
Courtier,whowrotethebookagainstWar——rathercoolforamanwho'sbeenasoldieroffortune,don'tyouthink？——isstayingattheinn,workingfortheRadical。Heknowsher,too——and,onecanonlyhope,forMiltoun'ssake,toowell——anattractiveperson,withredmoustaches,ratherniceandmad。Bertiehasjustcomedown;ImustgethimtohaveatalkwithMiltoun,andseeifhecantfindouthowthelandlies。OnecantrustBertie——he'sreallyveryastute。I
mustsay,thatshe'squiteasweet—lookingwoman;butabsolutelynothing'sknownofherhereexceptthatshedivorcedherhusband。
Howdoesonefindoutaboutpeople？Miltoun'sbeingsoextraordinarilystrait—lacedmakesitallthemoreawkward。Theearnestnessofthisrisinggenerationismostremarkable。Idon'tremembertakingsuchaseriousviewoflifeinmyyouth。"
LadyCasterleyloweredthecoronettedsheetofpaper。Theghostofagrimacehauntedherface——shehadnotforgottenherdaughter'syouth。
Raisingtheletteragain,shereadon:
"I'msureGeoffreyandIfeelyearsyoungerthaneitherMiltounorAgatha,thoughwedidproducethem。Onedoesn'tfeelitwithBertieorBabs,luckily。ThewarscareishavinganexcellenteffectonMiltoun'scandidature。ClaudHarbingeriswithus,too,workingforMiltoun;but,asamatteroffact,Ithinkhe'safterBabs。It'srathermelancholy,whenyouthinkthatBabsisn'tquitetwenty——
still,onecan'texpectanythingelse,Isuppose,withherlooks;andClaudisratherafinespecimen。Theytalkofhimalotnow;he'squitecomingtotheforeamongtheyoungTories。"
LadyCasterleyagainloweredtheletter,andstoodlistening。A
prolonged,muffledsoundasofdistantcheeringandgroanshadpenetratedthegreatconservatory,vibratingamongthepalepetalsoftheliliesandsettingfreetheirscentinshortwavesofperfume。
Shepassedintothehall;where,stoodanoldmanwithsallowfaceandlongwhitewhiskers。
"Whatwasthatnoise,Clifton？"
"AposseofSocialists,mylady,ontheirwaytoPutneytoholdademonstration;thepeoplearehootingthem。They'vegotblockedjustoutsidethegates。"
"Aretheymakingspeeches？"
"Theyaretalkingsomekindofrant,mylady。"
"I'llgoandhearthem。Givememyblackstick。"
Abovethevelvet—dark,flat—toughedcedartrees,whichroselikepagodasofebonyoneithersideofthedrive,theskyhungloweringinonegreatpurplecloud,endowedwithsinisterlifebyasinglewhitebeamstrikingupintoitfromthehorizon。Beneaththiscanopyofcloudasmallphalanxofdusty,dishevelled—lookingmenandwomenweredrawnupintheroad,guarding,andencouragingwithcheers,atall,black—coatedorator。Beforeandbehindthisphalanx,alittlemobofmenandboyskeptupanaccompanimentofgroansandjeering。
LadyCasterleyandher'major—domo'stoodsixpacesinsidethescrolledirongates,andwatched。Theslight,steel—colouredfigurewithsteel—colouredhair,wasmorearrestinginitsimmobilitythanallthevociferationsandgesturesofthemob。Hereyesalonemovedundertheirhalf—droopedlids;herrighthandclutchedtightlythehandleofherstick。Thespeaker'svoiceroseinshrillprotestagainsttheexploitationof'thepeople';itsankinironicalcommentonChristianity;itdemandedpassionatelytobefreefromthecontinuousburdenof'thisinsensatemilitaristtaxation';itthreatenedthatthepeoplewouldtakethingsinfotheirownhands。
LadyCasterleyturnedherhead:
"Heistalkingnonsense,Clifton。Itisgoingtorain。Ishallgoin。"
Underthestoneporchshepaused。Thepurplecloudhadbroken;ablindfuryofrainwasdelugingthefast—scatteringcrowd。AfaintsmilecameonLadyCasterley'slips。
"Itwilldothemgoodtohavetheirardourdampedalittle。Youwillgetwet,Clifton——hurry！IexpectLordValleystodinner。Havearoomgotreadyforhimtodress。He'smotoringfromMonkland。"
CHAPTERIII
Inaveryhigh,white—pannelledroom,withbutlittlefurniture,LordValleysgreetedhismother—in—lawrespectfully。
"Motoredupinninehours,Ma'am——notbadgoing。"
"Iamgladyoucame。WhenisMiltoun'selection？"
"Onthetwenty—ninth。"
"Pity！HeshouldbeawayfromMonkland,withthat——anonymouswomanlivingthere。"
"Ah！yes;you'veheardofher！"
LadyCasterleyrepliedsharply:
"You'retooeasy—going,Geoffrey。"
LordValleyssmiled。
"Thesewarscares,"hesaid,"aregettingabore。Can'tquitemakeoutwhatthefeelingofthecountryisaboutthem。"
LadyCasterleyrose:
"Ithasnone。Whenwarcomes,thefeelingwillbeallright。Italwaysis。Givemeyourarm。Areyouhungry？"……
WhenLordValleysspokeofwar,hespokeasonewho,sincehearrivedatyearsofdiscretion,hadlivedwithinthecircleofthosewhodirectthedestiniesofStates。Itwasforhim——asfortheliliesinthegreatglasshouse——impossibletoseewiththeeyes,orfeelwiththefeelingsofaflowerofthegardenoutside。Soakedinthebestprejudicesandmannersofhisclass,helivedalifenomoreshutofffromthegeneralthanwastobeexpected。Indeed,insomesort,asamanoffactsandcommonsense,hewasfairlyintouchwiththeopinionoftheaveragecitizen。Hewasquitegenuinewhenhesaidthathebelievedheknewwhatthepeoplewantedbetterthanthosewhopratedonthesubject;andnodoubthewasright,fortemperamentallyhewasnearertothemthantheirownleaders,thoughhewouldnotperhapshavelikedtobetoldso。Hisman—of—the—world,politicalshrewdnesshadbeensuperimposedbylifeonanaturewhoseprimestrengthwasitspracticalityandlackofimagination。Itwashisbusinesstobeefficient,butnotstrenuous,ordesirousofpushingideastotheirlogicalconclusions;tobeneithernarrownorpuritanical,solongastheshellof'goodform'waspreservedintact;tobealiberallandlorduptothepointofnotseriouslydamaginghisinterests;tobewell—disposedtowardstheartsuntilthoseartsrevealedthatwhichhehadnotbeforeperceived;itwashisbusinesstohavelighthands,steadyeyes,ironnerves,andthoseexcellentmannersthathavenomannerisms。Itwashisnaturetobeeasy—goingasahusband;indulgentasafather;carefulandstraightforwardasapolitician;andasaman,addictedtopleasure,towork,andtofreshair。Headmired,andwasfondofhiswife,andhadneverregrettedhismarriage。Hehadneverperhapsregrettedanything,unlessitwerethathehadnotyetwontheDerby,orquitesucceededingettinghisspecialstrainofblue—tickedpointerstobreedabsolutelytruetotype。Hismother—in—lawherespected,asonemightrespectaprinciple。
Therewasindeedinthepersonalityofthatlittleoldladythetremendousforceofaccumulateddecision——theinheritedassuranceofonewhoseprestigehadneverbeenquestioned;who,fromlongimmunity,andacertainclear—cutmatter—of—factness,bredbythehabitofcommand,hadindeedlostthepowerofperceivingthatherprestigeevercouldbequestioned。Herknowledgeofherownmindwasnoordinarypieceoflearning,hadnot,infact,beenlearnedatall,butsprangfull—fledgedfromanactivedominatingtemperament。
Fortifiedbythenecessity,commontoherclass,ofknowingthoroughlythemorepatentsideofpublicaffairs;armouredbythetraditionofaculturedemandedbyleadership;inspiredbyideas,butalwaysthesameideas;owningnomaster,butinservitudetoherowncustomofleading,shehadamind,formidableasthetwo—edgedswordswieldedbyherancestorstheFitz—Harolds,atAgincourtorPoitiers——
amindwhichhadeverinstinctivelyrejectedthatinnerknowledgeofherselforoftheselvesofothers;producedbythosefoolishpracticesofintrospection,contemplation,andunderstanding,sodeleterioustoauthority。IfLordValleyswasthebodyofthearistocraticmachine,LadyCasterleywasthesteelspringinsideit。
Allherlifestudiouslyunaffectedandsimpleinattire;ofplainandfrugalhabit;anearlyriser;workingatsomethingorotherfrommorningtillnight,andaslittleworn—outatseventy—eightasmostwomenoffifty,shehadonlyoneweakspot——andthatwasherstrength——blindnessastothenatureandsizeofherplaceintheschemeofthings。Shewasatype,aforce。
Wonderfullywellshewentwiththeroominwhichtheyweredining,whosegreywalls,surmountedbyadeepfriezepaintedsomewhatinthestyleofFragonard,containedmanynymphsandrosesnowratherdim;
withthefurniture,too,whichhadalookofhavingsurvivedintotimesnotitsown。Onthetableswerenoflowers,savefiveliliesinanoldsilverchalice;andonthewalloverthegreatsideboardaportraitofthelateLordCasterley。
Shespoke:
"IhopeMiltounistakinghisownline？"
"That'sthetrouble。Hesuffersfromswollenprinciples——onlywishhecouldkeepthemoutofhisspeeches。"
"Lethimbe;andgethimawayfromthatwomanassoonashiselection'sover。Whatisherrealname？"
"Mrs。somethingLeesNoel。"
"Howlonghasshebeenthere？"
"Aboutayear,Ithink。"
"Andyoudon'tknowanythingabouther？"
LordValleysraisedhisshoulders。
"Ah！"saidLadyCasterley;"exactly！You'relettingthethingdrift。
Ishallgodownmyself。IsupposeGertrudecanhaveme？WhathasthatMr。Courtiertodowiththisgoodlady？"
LordValleyssmiled。Inthissmilewasthewholeofhispoliteandeasy—goingphilosophy。"Iamnomeddler,"itseemedtosay;andatsightofthatsmileLadyCasterleytightenedherlips。
"Heisafirebrand,"shesaid。"IreadthatbookofhisagainstWar—
—mostinflammatory。AimedatGrant—andRosenstern,chiefly。I'vejustseen,oneoftheresults,outsidemyowngates。Amobofanti—
Waragitators。"
LordValleyscontrolledayawn。
"Really？I'dnoideaCourtierhadanyinfluence。"
"Heisdangerous。Mostidealistsarenegligible—hisbookwasclever。"
"Iwishtogoodnesswecouldseethelastofthesescares,theyonlymakebothcountrieslookfoolish,"mutteredLordValleys。
LadyCasterleyraisedherglass,fullofabloodyredwine。"Thewarwouldsaveus,"shesaid。
"Warisnojoke。"
"Itwouldbethebeginningofabetterstateofthings。"
"Youthinkso？"
"Weshouldgettheleadagainasanation,andDemocracywouldbeputbackfiftyyears。"
LordValleysmadethreelittleheapsofsalt,andpausedtocountthem;then,withaslightupliftingofhiseyebrows,whichseemedtodoubtwhathewasgoingtosay,hemurmured:"Ishouldhavesaidthatwewerealldemocratsnowadays……Whatisit,Clifton？"
"Yourchauffeurwouldliketoknow,whattimeyouwillhavethecar？"
"Directlyafterdinner。"
Twentyminuteslater,hewasturningthroughthescrolledirongatesintotheroadforLondon。Itwasfallingdark;andinthetremulousskycloudswerepiledup,anddriftedhereandtherewithasortofendlesslackofpurpose。Nodirectionseemedtohavebeendecreeduntotheirwings。Theyhadmettogetherinthefirmamentlikeaflockofgiantmagpiescrossingandre—crossingeachothers'flight。
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