Part 16 (2/2)

In the afternoon he devoted himself to his correspondence. His aunt gave up the parlour to him and went out to see her friends, while he sat in stately solitude at a table covered with papers plainly parliamentary in kind.

For about an hour he worked on undisturbed. Presently he heard the front gate creak, and looking up beheld a bicycle, a lady's bicycle, propped against the garden wall. Someone rapped loudly at the front door, and whoever it was had hard knuckles, for there was no knocker.

Presently Em'ly-Alice, Miss Gallup's little maid, appeared holding a card between her finger and thumb, and announced--”A young lady come to see you, please, sir.”

For one mad moment Eloquent thought it might perhaps be Mary with some message for his aunt, but the card disillusioned him. It was a very s.h.i.+ny card, and on it was written in ink in round, very distinct writing--

”Miss Elsmaria b.u.t.termish.”

He had barely time to take this in before Miss b.u.t.termish herself appeared.

”I'm glad to have found you at home, Mr Gallup,” she announced easily; ”I come on behalf of our beloved leaders to obtain a clear statement of your views as to 'Votes for Women,' for on those views a great deal depends. Kindly state them as clearly and concisely as you can.”

Miss b.u.t.termish drew up a chair to the table, sat down and produced a note-book and pencil; while Eloquent, speechless with astonishment and dismay, stood on the other side of it holding the s.h.i.+ny visiting-card in his hand.

Miss b.u.t.termish tapped with her pencil on the table and regarded him enquiringly.

Apparently quite young, she was also distinctly pleasing to the eye.

She wore an exceedingly well cut, heavily braided black coat and skirt, the latter of the tightest and skimpiest type of a skimpy period. Her hat was of the extinguisher order, entirely concealing her hair, except that just in the front a few soft curls were vaguely visible upon her forehead. A very handsome elderly-looking black fox stole threw up the whiteness of her rounded chin in strong relief, and her eyes looked large and mysterious through the meshes of her most becoming veil.

Eloquent was conscious of a certain familiarity in her appearance. He was certain that he had seen her before somewhere, and couldn't recall either time or place.

”I'm waiting, Mr Gallup,” she remarked pleasantly. ”You must have made up your mind one way or other upon this important question, and it will save both my time and your own if you state your views--may I say, as briefly as possible.”

Eloquent gasped . . . ”I fear,” he said, ”that I have by no means made up my mind with any sort of finality--it is such a large question. . . . I have not yet had time to go into it as thoroughly as I could wish. . . . There is so much to be said on both sides.”

”There,” Miss b.u.t.termish interrupted, ”you are mistaken; there is _nothing_ to be said for the '_antis_.' Their arguments are positively . . . footling.”

”I cannot,” Eloquent said stiffly, ”agree with you.”

”Sit down, Mr Gallup,” Miss b.u.t.termish said kindly, at the same time getting up and seating herself afresh on a corner of the sofa. ”We've got to thresh this matter out, and you've got to make up your mind whether you are for or against us. You are young, and I think that you hardly realise the forces that will be arrayed against _you_ if you join hands with Mr Asquith on this question.”

Miss b.u.t.termish sat up very stiff and straight on the end of the sofa, and Eloquent, still standing with the table between them, felt rather like a naughty boy in the presence of an accusing governess. The allusion to his youth rankled. He did not sit down, but stood where he was, staring darkly at his guest. After a very perceptible pause he said:

”It is impossible for me to give you a definite opinion . . .”

”It's not an _opinion_ I want,” Miss b.u.t.termish interrupted scornfully, ”it's a definite guarantee. Otherwise, young man, you may make up your mind to incessant interruption and . . . to various other annoyances which I need not enumerate. We don't care a bent pin whether you are a Liberal or a Tory or a red-hot Socialist, so long as you are sound on the Suffrage question. If you are in favour of 'Votes for Women,' then we'll help you; if not . . . I advise you to put up your shutters.”

Eloquent flushed angrily and, strangely enough, so did Miss b.u.t.termish at the same moment. In fact, no sooner had she spoken the last sentence than she looked extremely hot and uncomfortable.

”I see no use,” he said coldly, ”in prolonging this interview. I cannot give you the guarantee you wish for. It is not my custom to make up my mind upon any question of political importance without considerable research and much thought. Intimidation would never turn me from my course if, after such investigation, I should decide against your cause. Nor would any annoyance your party may inflict upon me now, affect my support of your cause should I, ultimately, come to believe in its justice.”

Miss b.u.t.termish rose. ”Mr Gallup,” she said solemnly, ”there is at present a very wide-spread discontent among us. Till we get the vote we shall manifest that discontent, and I warn you that the lives of members of Parliament and candidates who are not avowedly on our side will be made”--here Miss b.u.t.termish swallowed hastily . . . ”most unpleasant. Those that are not for us are against us, and . . . we are very much up against them. I am sorry we should part in anger . . .”

”Pardon me,” Eloquent interrupted, ”there is no anger on my side. I respect your opinions even though as yet I may not wholly share them.”

Miss b.u.t.termish shook her head. ”I'm really sorry for you,” she murmured; ”you are young, and you little know what you are letting yourself in for.”

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