“But that might be defying some of the precious conventions,” put in Hal with a touch of scorn—“making women too important, don’t you know; and encouraging them to be something more than household ornaments. We can’t have that, even for the sake of the future. It would be too alarming. No; England will continue in her cast-iron rut of prejudice, until most of her soul-power is dried up, and only the husk of a great nation is left, to follow in the way of other husks.”
“Then I will go to the new, young, strong nation, and watch her splendid rise,” quoth Dick.
“Traitor!” they threw at him, but he was quite imperturbed. “Strength and vigour are better than old traditions and an enfeebled race; and somebody, somewhere on the globe, had got to listen to what I am bound to teach.”
“You dear old Juggins,” said Hal, “when England has passed her zenith, and gone under to the new, strong race, you will be found sitting meditating among cabbages and green peas, like Omar Khayyám in his rose garden. The rest of us will have died in the fighting-line—except Baby, and they will put him under a glass case, and preserve him as one of the few fine specimens left of a decadent race—in spite of his brainlessness.”
“Are we a decadent race?” asked Lorraine thoughtfully.
“Only the House of Lords and a few leading Conservatives,” said Lord Denton with flippancy. “The workingman who has the courage to refuse to work, and the Liberal members who have the grit to demand salaries for upsetting the Constitution, led by a few eminent Ministers who delight to remove their neighbour’s landmark, and relieve his pocket, are the splendid fellows of the grand new opening era of prosperity and greatness.”
“Still,” put in Quin hopefully, “it is very fashionable to go big-game shooting nowadays, and an African lion may yet chew up a few of them.”
“Poor lion!” quoth Lorraine; “but what a fine finale for the king of beasts, to chew up the despoilers of kings. Shall we go to the drawing-room?” And she rose to lead the way.
A Bridge table was arranged in an alcove for Hal and three of the men, and Lorraine and Hermon sat over the fire for preference. They were far enough away from the players to be able to speak of them unheard, and Hermon, in the course of their conversation, mentioned that he saw something different in Hal tonight to what he had noticed before.
Lorraine thought she was only very lively, but Hermon looked doubtful. He could not express what he seemed to see, but in some way her liveliness held a new note. He thought she had more tone and a new kind of assurance, and he tried to explain it to Lorraine.