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as　Beasts　go。　　At　least　I　think　so。〃



Schoolboy　reticence　went　no　further；　but　Emmeline　filled　in　the　

gaps　for　herself　with　the　lavish　splendour　of　feminine　imagination。　　

Francesca's　bridge　went　crashing　into　the　abyss。







CHAPTER　III







ON　the　evening　of　a　certain　November　day；　two　years　after　the　

events　heretofore　chronicled；　Francesca　Bassington　steered　her　way　

through　the　crowd　that　filled　the　rooms　of　her　friend　Serena　

Golackly；　bestowing　nods　of　vague　recognition　as　she　went；　but　with　

eyes　that　were　obviously　intent　on　focussing　one　particular　figure。　　

Parliament　had　pulled　its　energies　together　for　an　Autumn　Session；　

and　both　political　Parties　were　fairly　well　represented　in　the　

throng。　　Serena　had　a　harmless　way　of　inviting　a　number　of　more　or　

less　public　men　and　women　to　her　house；　and　hoping　that　if　you　left　

them　together　long　enough　they　would　constitute　a　SALON。　　In　

pursuance　of　the　same　instinct　she　planted　the　flower　borders　at　

her　week…end　cottage　retreat　in　Surrey　with　a　large　mixture　of　

bulbs；　and　called　the　result　a　Dutch　garden。　　Unfortunately；　though　

you　may　bring　brilliant　talkers　into　your　home；　you　cannot　always　

make　them　talk　brilliantly；　or　even　talk　at　all；　what　is　worse　you　

cannot　restrict　the　output　of　those　starling…voiced　dullards　who　

seem　to　have；　on　all　subjects；　so　much　to　say　that　was　well　worth　

leaving　unsaid。　　One　group　that　Francesca　passed　was　discussing　a　

Spanish　painter；　who　was　forty…three；　and　had　painted　thousands　of　

square　yards　of　canvas　in　his　time；　but　of　whom　no　one　in　London　

had　heard　till　a　few　months　ago；　now　the　starling…voices　seemed　

determined　that　one　should　hear　of　very　little　else。　　Three　women　

knew　how　his　name　was　pronounced；　another　always　felt　that　she　must　

go　into　a　forest　and　pray　whenever　she　saw　his　pictures；　another　

had　noticed　that　there　were　always　pomegranates　in　his　later　

compositions；　and　a　man　with　an　indefensible　collar　knew　what　the　

pomegranates　〃meant。〃　　〃What　I　think　so　splendid　about　him；〃　said　a　

stout　lady　in　a　loud　challenging　voice；　〃is　the　way　he　defies　all　

the　conventions　of　art　while　retaining　all　that　the　conventions　

stand　for。〃　　〃Ah；　but　have　you　noticed　…　〃　put　in　the　man　with　the　

atrocious　collar；　and　Francesca　pushed　desperately　on；　wondering　

dimly　as　she　went；　what　people　found　so　unsupportable　in　the　

affliction　of　deafness。　　Her　progress　was　impeded　for　a　moment　by　a　

couple　engaged　in　earnest　and　voluble　discussion　of　some　

smouldering　question　of　the　day；　a　thin　spectacled　young　man　with　

the　receding　forehead　that　so　often　denotes　advanced　opinions；　was　

talking　to　a　spectacled　young　woman　with　a　similar　type　of　

forehead；　and　exceedingly　untidy　hair。　　It　was　her　ambition　in　life　

to　be　taken　for　a　Russian　girl…student；　and　she　had　spent　weeks　of　

patient　research　in　trying　to　find　out　exactly　where　you　put　the　

tea…leaves　in　a　samovar。　　She　had　once　been　introduced　to　a　young　

Jewess　from　Odessa；　who　had　died　of　pneumonia　the　following　week；　

the　experience；　slight　as　it　was；　constituted　the　spectacled　young　

lady　an　authority　on　all　things　Russian　in　the　eyes　of　her　

immediate　set。



〃Talk　is　helpful；　talk　is　needful；〃　the　young　man　was　saying；　〃but　

what　we　have　got　to　do　is　to　lift　the　subject　out　of　the　furrow　of　

indisciplined　talk　and　place　it　on　the　threshing…floor　of　practical　

discussion。〃



The　young　woman　took　advantage　of　the　rhetorical　full…stop　to　dash　

in　with　the　remark　which　was　already　marshalled　on　the　tip　of　her　

tongue。



〃In　emancipating　the　serfs　of　poverty　we　must　be　careful　to　avoid　

the　mistakes　which　Russian　bureaucracy　stumbled　into　when　

liberating　the　serfs　of　the　soil。〃



She　paused　in　her　turn　for　the　sake　of　declamatory　effect；　but　

recovered　her　breath　quickly　enough　to　start　afresh　on　level　terms　

with　the　young　man；　who　had　jumped　into　the　stride　of　his　next　

sentence。



〃They　got　off　to　a　good　start　that　time；〃　said　Francesca　to　

herself；　〃I　suppose　it's　the　Prevention　of　Destitution　they're　

hammering　at。　　What　on　earth　would　become　of　these　dear　good　people　

if　anyone　started　a　crusade　for　the　prevention　of　mediocrity？〃



Midway　through　one　of　the　smaller　rooms；　still　questing　for　an　

elusive　presence；　she　caught　sight　of　someone　that　she　knew；　and　

the　shadow　of　a　frown　passed　across　her　face。　　The　object　of　her　

faintly　signalled　displeasure　was　Courtenay　Youghal；　a　political　

spur…winner　who　seemed　absurdly　youthful　to　a　generation　that　had　

never　heard　of　Pitt。　　It　was　Youghal's　ambition　…　or　perhaps　his　

hobby　…　to　infuse　into　the　greyness　of　modern　political　life　some　

of　the　colour　of　Disraelian　dandyism；　tempered　with　the　correctness　

of　Anglo…Saxon　taste；　and　supplemented　by　the　flashes　of　wit　that　

were　inherent　from　the　Celtic　strain　in　him。　　His　success　was　only　

a　half…measure。　　The　public　missed　in　him　that　touch　of　blatancy　

which　it　looks　for　in　its　rising　public　men；　the　decorative　

smoothness　of　his　chestnut…golden　hair；　and　the　lively　sparkle　of　

his　epigrams　were　counted　to　him　for　good；　but　the　restrained　

sumptuousness　of　his　waistcoats　and　cravats　were　as　wasted　efforts。　　

If　he　had　habitually　smoked　cigarettes　in　a　pink　coral　mouthpiece；　

or　worn　spats　of　Mackenzie　tartan；　the　great　heart　of　the　voting…

man；　and　the　gush　of　the　paragraph…makers　might　have　been　

unreservedly　his。　　The　art　of　public　life　consists　to　a　great　

extent　of　knowing　exactly　where　to　stop　and　going　a　bit　further。



It　was　not　Youghal's　lack　of　political　sagacity　that　had　brought　

the　momentary　look　of　disapproval　into　Francesca's　face。　　The　fact　

was　that　Comus；　who　had　left　off　being　a　schoolboy　and　was　now　a　

social　problem；　had　lately　enrolled　himself　among　the　young　

politician's　associates　and　admirers；　and　as　the　boy　knew　and　cared　

nothing　about　politics；　and　merely　copied　Youghal's　waistcoats；　

and；　less　successfully；　his　conversation；　Francesca　felt　herself　

justified　in　deploring　the　intimacy。　　To　a　woman　who　dressed　well　

on　comparatively　nothing　a　year　it　was　an　anxious　experience　to　

have　a　son　who　dressed　sumptuously　on　absolutely　nothing。



The　cloud　that　had　passed　over　her　face　when　she　caught　sight　of　

the　offending　Youghal　was　presently　succeeded　by　a　smile　of　

gratified　achievement；　as　she　encountered　a　bow　of　recognition　and　

welcome　from　a　portly　middle…aged　gentleman；　who　seemed　genuinely　

anxious　to　include　her　in　the　rather　meagre　group　that　he　had　

gathered　about　him。



〃We　were　just　talking　about　my　new　charge；〃　he　observed　genially；　

including　in　the　〃we〃　his　somewhat　depressed…looking　listeners；　who　

in　all　human　probability　had　done　none　of　the　talking。　　〃I　was　just　

telling　them；　and　you　may　be　interested　to　hear　this　…　〃



Francesca；　with　Spartan　stoicism；　continued　to　wear　an　ingratiating　

smile；　though　the　character　of　the　deaf　adder　that　stoppeth　her　ear　

and　will　not　hearken；　seemed　to　her　at　that　moment　a　beautiful　one。



Sir　Julian　Jull　had　been　a　member　of　a　House　of　Commons　

distinguished　for　its　high　standard　of　well…informed　mediocrity；　

and　had　harmonised　so　thoroughly　with　his　surroundings　that　the　

most　attentive　observer　of　Parliamentary　proceedings　could　scarcely　

have　told　even　on　which　side　of　the　House　he　sat。　　A　baronetcy　

bestowed　on　him　by　the　Party　in　power　had　at　least　removed　that　

doubt；　some　weeks　later　he　had　been　made　Governor　of　some　West　

Indian　dependency；　whether　as　a　reward　for　having　accepted　the　

baronetcy；　or　as　an　application　of　a　theory　that　West　Indian　

islands　get　the　Governors　they　deserve；　it　would　have　been　hard　to　

say。　　To　Sir　Julian　the　appointment　was；　doubtless；　one　of　some　

importance；　during　the　span　of　his　Governorship　the　island　might　

possibly　be　visited　by　a　member　of　the　Royal　Family；　or　at　the　

least　by　an　earthquake；　and　in　either　case　his　name　would　get　into　

the　papers。　　To　the　public　the　matter　was　one　of　absolute　

indifference；　〃who　is　he　and　where　is　it？〃　would　have　correctly　

epitomised　the　sum　total　of　general　information　on　the　personal　and　

geographical　aspects　of　the　case。



Francesca；　however；　from　the　moment　she　had　heard　of　the　likelihood　

of　the　appointment；　had　taken　a　deep　and　lively　interest　in　Sir　

Julian。　　As　a　Member　of　Parliament　he　had　not　filled　any　very　

pressing　social　want　in　her　life；　and　on　the　rare　occasions　when　

she　took　tea　on　the　Terrace　of　the　House　she　was　wont　to　lapse　into　

rapt　contemplation　of　St。　Thomas's　Hospital　whenever　she　saw　him　

within　bowing　distance。　　But　as　Governor　of　an　island　he　would；　of　

course；　want　a　private　secretary；　and　as　a　friend　and　colleague　of　

Henry　Greech；　to　whom　he　was　indebted　for　many　little　acts　of　

political　support　（they　had　once　jointly　drafted　an　amendment　which　

had　been　ruled　out　of　order）；　what　was　more　natural　and　proper　than　

that　he　should　let　his　choice　fall　on　Henry's　nephew　Comus？　　While　

privately　doubting　whether　the　boy　would　make　the　sort　of　secretary　

that　any　public　man　would　esteem　as　a　treasure；　Henry　was　

thoroughly　in　agreement　with　Francesca　as　to　the　excellence　and　

desirability　of　an　arrangement　which　would　transplant　that　

troublesome'　young　animal　from　the　too　restricted　and　conspicuous　

area　that　centres　in　the　parish　of　St。　James's　to　some　misty　corner　

of　the　British　dominion　overseas。　　Brother　and　sister　had　conspired　

to　give　an　elaborate　and　at　the　same　time　cosy　little　luncheon　to　

Sir　Julian　on　the　very　day　that　his　appointment　was　officially　

announced；　and　the　question　of　the　secretaryship　had　been　mooted　

and　sedulously　fostered　as　occasion　permitted；　until　all　that　was　

now　needed　to　clinch　the　matter　was　a　formal　interview　between　His　

Excellency　and　Comus。　　The　boy　had　from　the　first　shewn　very　little　

gratification　at　the　prospect　of　his　deportation。　　To　live　on　a　

remote　shark…g