CHAPTER XX

HappilyforMaryDatchetshereturnedtotheofficetofindthatbysomeobscureParliamentarymaneuverthevotehadoncemoreslippedbeyondtheattainmentofwomen.Mrs.Sealwasinaconditionborderinguponfrenzy.TheduplicityofMinisters,thetreacheryofmankind,theinsulttowomanhood,thesetbacktocivilization,theruinofherlife’swork,thefeelingsofherfather’sdaughter—allthesetopicswerediscussedinturn,andtheofficewaslitteredwithnewspapercuttingsbrandedwiththeblue,ifambiguous,marksofherdispleasure.Sheconfessedherselfatfaultinherestimateofhumannature. “Thesimpleelementaryactsofjustice,”shesaid,wavingherhandtowardsthewindow,andindicatingthefoot-passengersandomnibusesthenpassingdownthefarsideofRussellSquare,“areasfarbeyondthemastheyeverwere.Wecanonlylookuponourselves,Mary,aspioneersinawilderness.Wecanonlygoonpatientlyputtingthetruthbeforethem.Itisn’tthem,”shecontinued,takingheartfromhersightofthetraffic,“it’stheirleaders.It’sthosegentlemensittinginParliamentanddrawingfourhundredayearofthepeople’smoney.Ifwehadtoputourcasetothepeople,weshouldsoonhavejusticedonetous.Ihavealwaysbelievedinthepeople,andIdosostill.But—”Sheshookherheadandimpliedthatshewouldgivethemonemorechance,andiftheydidn’ttakeadvantageofthatshecouldn’tanswerfortheconsequences. Mr.Clacton’sattitudewasmorephilosophicalandbettersupportedbystatistics.HecameintotheroomafterMrs.Seal’soutburstandpointedout,withhistoricalillustrations,thatsuchreverseshadhappenedineverypoliticalcampaignofanyimportance.Ifanything,hisspiritswereimprovedbythedisaster.Theenemy,hesaid,hadtakentheoffensiveanditwasnowuptotheSocietytooutwittheenemy.HegaveMarytounderstandthathehadtakenthemeasureoftheircunning,andhadalreadybenthismindtothetaskwhich,sofarasshecouldmakeout,dependedsolelyuponhim.Itdepended,soshecametothink,wheninvitedintohisroomforaprivateconference,uponasystematicrevisionofthecard-index,upontheissueofcertainnewlemon-coloredleaflets,inwhichthefactsweremarshaledoncemoreinaverystrikingway,anduponalargescalemapofEnglanddottedwithlittlepinstuftedwithdifferentlycoloredplumesofhairaccordingtotheirgeographicalposition.Eachdistrict,underthenewsystem,haditsflag,itsbottleofink,itssheafofdocumentstabulatedandfiledforreferenceinadrawer,sothatbylookingunderMorS,asthecasemightbe,youhadallthefactswithrespecttotheSuffrageorganizationsofthatcountyatyourfingers’ends.Thiswouldrequireagreatdealofwork,ofcourse. “Wemusttrytoconsiderourselvesratherinthelightofatelephoneexchange—fortheexchangeofideas,MissDatchet,”hesaidandtakingpleasureinhisimage,hecontinuedit.“Weshouldconsiderourselvesthecenterofanenormoussystemofwires,connectingusupwitheverydistrictofthecountry.WemusthaveourfingersuponthepulseofthecommunitywewanttoknowwhatpeoplealloverEnglandarethinkingwewanttoputtheminthewayofthinkingrightly.”Thesystem,ofcourse,wasonlyroughlysketchedsofar—jotteddown,infact,duringtheChristmasholidays. “Whenyououghttohavebeentakingarest,Mr.Clacton,”saidMarydutifully,buthertonewasflatandtired. “Welearntodowithoutholidays,MissDatchet,”saidMr.Clacton,withasparkofsatisfactioninhiseye. Hewishedparticularlytohaveheropinionofthelemon-coloredleaflet.Accordingtohisplan,itwastobedistributedinimmensequantitiesimmediately,inordertostimulateandgenerate,“togenerateandstimulate,”herepeated,“rightthoughtsinthecountrybeforethemeetingofParliament.” “Wehavetotaketheenemybysurprise,”hesaid.“Theydon’tletthegrassgrowundertheirfeet.HaveyouseenBingham’saddresstohisconstituents?That’sahintofthesortofthingwe’vegottomeet,MissDatchet.” Hehandedheragreatbundleofnewspapercuttings,and,begginghertogivehimherviewsupontheyellowleafletbeforelunch-time,heturnedwithalacritytohisdifferentsheetsofpaperandhisdifferentbottlesofink. Maryshutthedoor,laidthedocumentsuponhertable,andsankherheadonherhands.Herbrainwascuriouslyemptyofanythought.Shelistened,asif,perhaps,bylisteningshewouldbecomemergedagainintheatmosphereoftheoffice.FromthenextroomcametherapidspasmodicsoundsofMrs.Seal’serratictypewritingshe