Part 61 (2/2)
”How do you know what he used to tell her?” said Ashe, with a laugh. But his forehead had reddened.
”One hears--and one guesses--from the letters that have been published.
Oh, I understand quite well! You can't trust me!”
Ashe turned aside and began to gather up his papers.
”Of course,” said Kitty, a little hoa.r.s.ely, ”I know it's my own fault, because you used to tell me much more. I suppose it was the way I behaved to Lord Parham?”
She looked at him rather tremulously. It was the first time since her illness began that she had referred to the incidents at Haggart.
”Look here!” said Ashe, in a tone of decision; ”I shall _really_ give up talking politics to you if it only reminds you of disagreeable things.”
She took no notice.
”Is Lord Parham behaving well to you--now--William?”
Ashe colored hotly. As a matter of fact, in his own opinion, Lord Parham was behaving vilely. A measure of first-rate importance for which he was responsible was already in danger of being practically shelved, simply, as it seemed to him, from a lack of elementary trustworthiness in Lord Parham. But as to this he had naturally kept his own counsel with Kitty.
”He is not the most agreeable of customers,” he said, gayly. ”But I shall get through. Pegging away does it.”
”And then to see how our papers flatter him!” cried Kitty. ”How little people know, who think they know! It would be amusing to show the world the real Lord Parham.”
She looked at her husband with an expression that struck him disagreeably. He threw away his cigarette, and his face changed.
”What we have to do, my dear Kitty, is simply to hold our tongues.”
Kitty sat up in some excitement.
”That man never hears the truth!”
Ashe shrugged his shoulders. It seemed to him incredible that she should pursue this particular topic, after the incidents at Haggart.
”That's not the purpose for which Prime Ministers exist. Anyway, _we_ can't tell it him.”
Undaunted, however, by his tone, and with what seemed to him extraordinary excitability of manner, Kitty reminded him of an incident in the life of a bygone administration, when the near relative of an English statesman, staying at the time in the statesman's house, had sent a communication to one of the quarterlies attacking his policy and belittling his character, by means of information obtained in the intimacy of a country-house party.
”One of the most treacherous things ever done!” said Ashe, indignantly.
”Fair fight, if you like! But if that kind of thing were to spread, I for one should throw up politics to-morrow.”
”Every one said it did a vast deal of good,” persisted Kitty.
”A precious sort of good! Yes--I believe Parham in particular profited by it--more shame to him! If anybody ever tried to help me in that sort of way--anybody, that is, for whom I felt the smallest responsibility--I know what I should do.”
”What?” Kitty fell back on her cus.h.i.+ons, but her eye still held him.
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