Talkett jerked himself to his feet. “Take my chair, now do, Mr. Campton. You’ll be more comfortable. Here, let me shake up this cushion for you——” (“Cushion!” Boylston interjected scornfully.) “A light, George? Now don’t move!—I don’t say, of course, old chap,” Talkett continued, as he held the match deferentially to George’s cigarette, “that this sort of talk would be safe—or advisable—just now in public; subversive talk never is. But when two or three of the Elect are gathered together—well, your father sees my point, I know. The Hero,” he nodded at George, “has his job, and the Artist,” with a slant at Campton, “his. In Germany, for instance, as we’re beginning to find out, the creative minds, the Intelligentsia (to use another of my wife’s expressions), have been carefully protected from the beginning, given jobs, vitally important jobs of course, but where their lives were not exposed. The country needs them too much in other ways; they would probably be wretched fighters, and they’re of colossal service in their own line. Whereas in France and England——” he suddenly seemed to see his chance——“Well, look here, Mr. Campton, I appeal to you, I appeal to the great creative Artist: in any country but France and England, would a fellow of George’s brains have been allowed, even at this stage of the war, to chuck an important staff job, requiring intellect, tact and savoir faire, and try to get himself killed like any unbaked boy—like your poor cousin Benny Upsher, for instance? Would he?”
“Yes—in America!” shouted Boylston; and Mr. Talkett’s tallowy cheeks turned pink.
“George knows how I feel about these things,” he stammered.
George still laughed in his remote impartial way, and Boylston asked with a grin: “Why don’t you get yourself naturalized—a neutral?”
Mr. Talkett’s pinkness deepened. “I have lived too much among Artists——” he began; and George interrupted gaily: “There’s a lot to be said on Talkett’s side too. Going, Roger? Well, I shall be able to look in on you now in a few days. Remember me to Madge. Goodbye.”
Boylston rose also, and Campton remained alone with his son.
“Remember me to Madge!” That was the way in which the modern young man spoke of his beloved to his beloved’s proprietor. There had not been a shadow of constraint in George’s tone; and now, glancing at the door which had closed on Mr. Talkett, he merely said, as if apostrophizing the latter’s neat back: “Poor devil! He’s torn to pieces with it.”
“With what?” asked Campton, startled.
“Why, with Boylston’s Preparedness. Wanting to do the proper thing—and never before having had to decide between anything more vital than straight or turned-down collars. It’s playing the very deuce with him.”
His eyes grew thoughtful. Was he going to pronounce Mrs. Talkett’s name—at last? But no; he wandered back to her husband. “Poor little ass! Of course he’ll decide against.” He shrugged his shoulders. “And Boylston’s just as badly torn in the other direction.”