Part 2 (2/2)
She spoke:
”I hope Miltoun is taking his own line?”
”That's the trouble. He suffers from swollen principles--only wish he could keep them out of his speeches.”
”Let him be; and get him away from that woman as soon as his election's over. What is her real name?”
”Mrs. something Lees Noel.”
”How long has she been there?”
”About a year, I think.”
”And you don't know anything about her?”
Lord Valleys raised his shoulders.
”Ah!” said Lady Casterley; ”exactly! You're letting the thing drift. I shall go down myself. I suppose Gertrude can have me? What has that Mr.
Courtier to do with this good lady?”
Lord Valleys smiled. In this smile was the whole of his polite and easy-going philosophy. ”I am no meddler,” it seemed to say; and at sight of that smile Lady Casterley tightened her lips.
”He is a firebrand,” she said. ”I read that book of his against War--most inflammatory. Aimed at Grant-and Rosenstern, chiefly. I've just seen, one of the results, outside my own gates. A mob of anti-War agitators.”
Lord Valleys controlled a yawn.
”Really? I'd no idea Courtier had any influence.”
”He is dangerous. Most idealists are negligible-his book was clever.”
”I wish to goodness we could see the last of these scares, they only make both countries look foolish,” muttered Lord Valleys.
Lady Casterley raised her gla.s.s, full of a b.l.o.o.d.y red wine. ”The war would save us,” she said.
”War is no joke.”
”It would be the beginning of a better state of things.”
”You think so?”
”We should get the lead again as a nation, and Democracy would be put back fifty years.”
Lord Valleys made three little heaps of salt, and paused to count them; then, with a slight uplifting of his eyebrows, which seemed to doubt what he was going to say, he murmured: ”I should have said that we were all democrats nowadays.... What is it, Clifton?”
”Your chauffeur would like to know, what time you will have the car?”
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