Part 47 (1/2)
”But that might be defying some of the precious conventions,” put in Hal with a touch of scorn - ”making women too important, don't you know; and encouraging them to be something more than household ornaments. We can't have that, even for the sake of the future. It would be too alarming. No; England will continue in her cast-iron rut of prejudice, until most of her soul-power is dried up, and only the husk of a great nation is left, to follow in the way of other husks.”
”Then I will go to the new, young, strong nation, and watch her splendid rise,” quoth d.i.c.k.
”Traitor!” they threw at him, but he was quite imperturbed. ”Strength and vigour are better than old traditions and an enfeebled race; and sombebody, somewhere on the globe, had got to listen to what I am bound to teach.”
”You dear old Juggins,” said Hal, ”when England has pa.s.sed her zenith, and gone under to the new, strong race, you will be found sitting meditating among cabbages and green peas, like Omar Khayyam in his rose garden. The rest of us will have died in the fighting-line - except Baby, and they will put him under a gla.s.s case, and preserve him as one of the few fine specimens left of a decadent race - in spite of his brainlessness.”
”Are we a decadent race?” asked Lorraine thoughtfully.
”Only the House of Lords and a few leading Conservatives,” said Lord Denton with flippancy. ”The workingman who has the courage to refuse to work, and the Liberal members who have the grit to demand salaries for upsetting the Const.i.tution, led by a few eminent Ministers who delight to remove their neighbour's landmark, and relieve his pocket, are the splendid fellows of the grand new opening era of prosperity and greatness.”
”Still,” put in Quin hopefully, ”it is very fas.h.i.+onable to go big-game shooting nowadays, and an African lion may yet chew up a few of them.”
”Poor lion!” quoth Lorraine; ”but what a fine finale for the king of beasts, to chew up the despoilers of kings. Shall we go to the drawing-room?” And she rose to lead the way.
A Bridge table was arranged in an alcove for Hal and three of the men, and Lorraine and Hermon sat over the fire for preference. They were far enough away from the players to be able to speak of them unheard, and Hermon, in the course of their conversation, mentioned that he saw something different in Hal to-night to what he had noticed before.
Lorraine thought she was only very lively, but Hermon looked doubtful.
He could not express what he seemed to see, but in some way her liveliness held a new note. He thought she had more tone and a new kind of a.s.surance, and he tried to explain it to Lorraine.
”I expect she's had a jolly afternoon,” was all Lorraine said, with a smile. ”She has been to the Zoo with Sir Edwin Crathie.”
”Has she?” significantly, and Hermon raised his eyebrows. ”Are they still friends, then? I thought she only knew him slightly.”
”Thas was at the beginning,” and Lorraine glanced at him with the smile deepening in her eyes. ”There always has to be a beginning - doesn't there?”
But no answering smile shone in Alymer Hermon's face, rather a slight shade of anxiety as he glanced across the room at Hal. ”I should not like a sister of mine to have much to do with Sir Edwin Crathie,” he said gravely.
”Perhaps not, you dear old Solemn-acre,” giving his arm a gentle pat; ”but a sister of yours would not have learned early to battle with the world as Hal has.”
”But surely if she is less protected than a sister of mine would have been, there is the greater cause for caution.”
”There is no comparision. A sister of yours would always have known protection, and always rely on it, and if it failed her she might find herself in difficulties and dangers she hardly knew how to cope with.
Hal faced the difficulties and the dangers early, and learnt to be her own defence and protector. Some women have to, you see. It is necessary for them to wield weapons and armour out of their own strength, and be prepared to be buffeted by a heartless world, and not be afraid. If you had a sister, you would want to keep her in cotton-wool, and never let any rough, enlightening experience come near her. If I had a daughter, I should like her to have the enlightening experience early, and learn to be strong and self-dependent like Hal; then I shouldn't be afraid of her future.”
She was silent a few moments, then added thoughtfully: ”I think it would be better for society in general if the girls of the leisured cla.s.ses knew more about the world, and were better able to take car of themselves; meaning, of course, with a pride like Hal's in going straight because it's the game.”
Hermon's eyes again strayed to Hal's pretty head, with its glossy brown hair, and Lorraine continued after a pause:
”If I'm afraid of anything with Hal, it is that she might let herself get to care for some one who isn't worth her little finger, or some one who is out of her reach, or something generally impossible. She wouldn't care lightly; and she'd get dreadfully hurt.”
”But surely she couldn't actually fall in love with a man like Edwin Crathie?” he remonstrated.
”I wasn't thinking of Sir Edwin specially. She goed about a great deal, you know, and meets many people. She has a strong vein of romance too. I always feel I shall be very glad when she is safely anch.o.r.ed, if only it is to the right man.”
They were interrupted then by the Bridge players, who had finished their first rubber, and Lord Denton persuaded Hermon to change places with him for a time, and came to sit over the fire with Lorraine.
Presently he too mentioned Hal.