CHAPTER XXVI

ell—?”Shedidnotunderstand. “AttwelvemyhorsesturnintoratsandoffIgo.Theillusionfades.ButIacceptmyfate.Imakehaywhilethesunshines.”Cassandralookedatherwithapuzzledexpression. “Here’sKatharinetalkingaboutrats,andhay,andallsortsofoddthings,”shesaid,asWilliamreturnedtothem.Hehadbeenquick.“Canyoumakeherout?” Katharineperceivedfromhislittlefrownandhesitationthathedidnotfindthatparticularproblemtohistasteatpresent.Shestooduprightatonceandsaidinadifferenttone: “Ireallyamoff,though.Iwishyou’dexplainiftheysayanything,William.Ishan’tbelate,butI’vegottoseesomeone.” “Atthistimeofnight?”Cassandraexclaimed. “Whomhaveyougottosee?”Williamdemanded. “Afriend,”sheremarked,halfturningherheadtowardshim.Sheknewthathewishedhertostay,not,indeed,withthem,butintheirneighborhood,incaseofneed. “Katharinehasagreatmanyfriends,”saidWilliamratherlamely,sittingdownoncemore,asKatharinelefttheroom. Shewassoondrivingquickly,asshehadwishedtodrive,throughthelamp-litstreets.Shelikedbothlightandspeed,andthesenseofbeingoutofdoorsalone,andtheknowledgethatshewouldreachMaryinherhigh,lonelyroomattheendofthedrive.Sheclimbedthestonestepsquickly,remarkingthequeerlookofherbluesilkskirtandblueshoesuponthestone,dustywiththebootsoftheday,underthelightofanoccasionaljetofflickeringgas. ThedoorwasopenedinasecondbyMaryherself,whosefaceshowednotonlysurpriseatthesightofhervisitor,butsomedegreeofembarrassment.Shegreetedhercordially,and,astherewasnotimeforexplanations,Katharinewalkedstraightintothesitting-room,andfoundherselfinthepresenceofayoungmanwhowaslyingbackinachairandholdingasheetofpaperinhishand,atwhichhewaslookingasifheexpectedtogoonimmediatelywithwhathewasinthemiddleofsayingtoMaryDatchet.Theapparitionofanunknownladyinfulleveningdressseemedtodisturbhim.Hetookhispipefromhismouth,rosestiffly,andsatdownagainwithajerk. “Haveyoubeendiningout?”Maryasked. “Areyouworking?”Katharineinquiredsimultaneously. Theyoungmanshookhishead,asifhedisownedhisshareinthequestionwithsomeirritation. “Well,notexactly,”Maryreplied.“Mr.Basnetthadbroughtsomepaperstoshowme.Weweregoingthroughthem,butwe’dalmostdone....Tellusaboutyourparty.” Maryhadaruffledappearance,asifshehadbeenrunningherfingersthroughherhairinthecourseofherconversationshewasdressedmoreorlesslikeaRussianpeasantgirl.Shesatdownagaininachairwhichlookedasifithadbeenherseatforsomehoursthesaucerwhichstooduponthearmcontainedtheashesofmanycigarettes.Mr.Basnett,averyyoungmanwithafreshcomplexionandahighforeheadfromwhichthehairwascombedstraightback,wasoneofthatgroupof“veryableyoungmen”suspectedbyMr.Clacton,justlyasitturnedout,ofaninfluenceuponMaryDatchet.HehadcomedownfromoneoftheUniversitiesnotlongago,andwasnowchargedwiththereformationofsociety.Inconnectionwiththerestofthegroupofveryableyoungmenhehaddrawnupaschemefortheeducationoflabor,fortheamalgamationofthemiddleclassandtheworkingclass,andforajointassaultofthetwobodies,combinedintheSocietyfortheEducationofDemocracy,uponCapital.Theschemehadalreadyreachedthestageinwhichitwaspermissibletohireanofficeandengageasecretary,andhehadbeendeputedtoexpoundtheschemetoMary,andmakeheranofferoftheSecretaryship,towhich,asamatterofprinciple,asmallsalarywasattached.Sinceseveno’clockthateveninghehadbeenreadingoutloudthedocumentinwhichthefaithofthenewreformerswasexpounded,butthereadingwassofrequentlyinterruptedbydiscussion,anditwassooftennecessarytoinformMary“instrictestconfidence”oftheprivatecharactersandevildesignsofcertainindividualsandsocietiesthattheywerestillonlyhalf-waythroughthemanuscript.Neitherofthemrealizedthatthetalkhadalreadylastedthreehours.Intheirabsorptiontheyhadforgotteneventofeedthefire,andyetbothMr.Basnettinhisexposition,andMaryinherinterrogation,carefullypreservedakindofformalitycalculatedtocheckthedesireofthehumanmindforirrelevantdiscussion.Herquestionsfrequentlybegan,“AmItounderstand—”andhisrepliesinvariablyrepresentedtheviewsofsomeonecalled“we.” BythistimeMarywasalmostpersuadedthatshe,too,wasincludedinthe“we,”andagreedwithMr.Basnettinbelievingthat“our”views,“our”society,“our”policy,stoodforsomethingquitedefinitelysegregatedfromthemainbodyofsocietyinacircleofsuperiorillumination. TheappearanceofKatharineinthisatmospherewasextremelyincongruous,andhadtheeffectofmakingMaryrememberallsortsofthingsthatshehadbeengladtoforget. “You’vebeendiningout?”sheaskedagain,looking,withalittlesmile,atthebluesilkandthepearl-sewnshoes. “No,athome.Areyoustartingsomethingnew?”Katharinehazarded,ratherhesitatingly,lookingatthepapers. “Weare,”Mr.Basnettreplied.Hesaidnomore. “I’mthinkingofleavingourfriendsinRussellSquare,”Maryexplained. “Isee.Andthenyouwilldosomethingelse.” “Well,I’mafraidIlikeworking,”saidMary. “Afraid,”saidMr.Basnett,conveyingtheimpressionthat,inhisopinion,nosensiblepersoncouldbeafraidoflikingtowork. “Yes,”saidKatharine,asifhehadstatedthisopinionaloud.“Ishouldliketostartsomething—somethingoffone’sownbat—that’swhatIshouldlike.” “Yes,that’sthefun,”saidMr.Basnett,lookingatherforthefirsttimeratherkeenly,andrefillinghispipe. “Butyoucan’tlimitwork—that’swhatImean,”saidMary.“Imeanthereareothersortsofwork.Nooneworksharderthanawomanwithlittlechildren.” “Quiteso,”saidMr.Basnett.“It’spreciselythewomenwithbabieswewanttogetholdof.”Heglancedathisdocument,rolleditintoacylinderbetweenhisfingers,andgazedintothefire.Katharinefeltthatinthiscompanyanythingthatonesaidwouldbejudgeduponitsmeritsonehadonlytosaywhatonethought,ratherbarelyandtersely,withacuriousassumptionthatthenumberofthingsthatcouldproperlybethoughtaboutwasstrictlylimited.AndMr.Basnettwasonlystiffuponthesurfacetherewasanintelligenceinhisfacewhichattractedherintelligence. “Whenwillthepublicknow?”sheasked. “Whatd’youmean—aboutus?”Mr.Basnettasked,withalittlesmile. “Thatdependsuponmanythings,”saidMary.Theconspiratorslookedpleased,asifKatharine’squestion,withthebeliefintheirexistencewhichitimplied,hadawarmingeffectuponthem. “Instartingasocietysuchaswewishtostart(wecan’tsayanymoreatpresent),”Mr.Basnettbegan,withalittlejerkofhishead,“therearetwothingstoremember—thePressandthepublic.Othersocieties,whichshallbenameless,havegoneunderbecausethey’veappealedonlytocranks.Ifyoudon’twantamutualadmirationsociety,whichdiesassoonasyou’vealldiscoveredeachother’sfaults,youmustnobblethePress.Youmustappealtothepublic.” “That’sthedifficulty,”saidMarythoughtfully. “That’swhereshecomesin,”saidMr.Basnett,jerkinghisheadinMary’sdirection.“She’stheonlyoneofuswho’sacapitalist.Shecanmakeawhole-timejobofit.I’mtiedtoanofficeIcanonlygivemysparetime.Areyou,byanychance,onthelook-outforajob?”heaskedKatharine,withaqueermixtureofdistrustanddeference. “Marriageisherjobatpresent,”Maryrepliedforher. “Oh,Isee,”saidMr.Basnett.Hemadeallowancesforthatheandhisfriendshadfacedthequestionofsex,alongwithallothers,andassigneditanhonorableplaceintheirschemeoflife.KatharinefeltthisbeneaththeroughnessofhismannerandaworldentrustedtotheguardianshipofMaryDatchetandMr.Basnettseemedtoheragoodworld,althoughnotaromanticorbeautifulplaceor,toputitfiguratively,aplacewhereanylineofbluemistsoftlylinkedtreetotreeuponthehorizon.Foramomentshethoughtshesawinhisface,bentnowoverthefire,thefeaturesofthatoriginalmanwhomwestillrecalleverynowandthen,althoughweknowonlytheclerk,barrister,Governmentalofficial,orworkingmanvarietyofhim.NotthatMr.Basnett,givinghisdaystocommerceandhissparetimetosocialreform,wouldlongcarryabouthimanytraceofhispossibilitiesofcompletenessbut,forthemoment,inhisyouthandardor,stillspeculative,stilluncramped,onemightimaginehimthecitizenofanoblerstatethanours.Katharineturnedoverhersmallstockofinformation,andwonderedwhattheirso