So far as good form permitted it to express any emotion, Buchanan Budd’s face wore a look of surprise as she uttered these words. Fenton smiled slightly, and said,—
“Won’t you explain your position, Miss Van Vleck? Your remark is so distinctly complimentary to my line of life that I should be delighted to have you enlighten us further regarding your reason for the conclusion you have reached.”
“Perhaps that would be killing two birds with one stone,” suggested Gertrude enthusiastically. “Mr. Budd has been asking my advice about the best method of getting into touch with the new ideas that are influencing the world—especially as they apply to woman. It seems to me that the life of a newspaper man must, of necessity, place him in sympathy with the most advanced tendencies of thought. I mean, of course, a newspaper man who holds a position of any prominence in journalism.”
“If I follow you—ah—Miss Van Vleck,” put in Budd, his drawl growing somewhat more pronounced as he realized that the enemy had cleverly thrown him upon the defensive, “if I follow you, the proposition seems to be that in order to become thoroughly imbued with the theories that dominate woman at present, I should—ah—go into journalism.”
Gertrude laughed nervously.
“What do you advise, Mr. Fenton? Mr. Budd is honestly anxious to be progressive; he even flattered me by saying that I could help him to overcome certain ancient prejudices that still cling to him. But I feel convinced that you can be of more service to him in this matter than I—or any woman—could ever be.”
“I fear,” said Fenton coldly, “that the treatment for Mr. Budd, at which you have hinted, is much too heroic. The life of the New York newspaper man is not devoted to the study of theories, but to the discovery and publication of facts. Our effort is to free from imprisonment poor old ‘Truth, crushed to earth,’ to use the words of the poet.”
“I suppose—ah—Mr. Fenton,” suggested Budd, “that the reason the newspapers stir up so much mud, then, is that they find—ah—Truth in such an unfortunate position.”
Gertrude and Fenton laughed outright.
“Very well put, Mr. Budd,” exclaimed the latter. “I feel convinced that you need no outside aid to enable you to keep up with current tendencies; provided, of course,”—and Fenton looked earnestly at Budd,—“provided, of course, that you honestly prefer to be progressive rather than reactionary.”