"To help us in our national money matters, in which, in truth, it does not very well succeed," observed the Lieutenant.
"And to protect the interests of certain classes of its subjects," replied Matilda, "in which, if most people say true, they succeed as little."
"Spitalfields is in a worse state than ever," observed the Lieutenant; "and there are terrible complaints from our glovers and our lace-makers."
"And if not," continued Matilda--"if protection availed to these people, the case would be very little better than it is now. Money prosperity is desirable only as it is necessary to some higher good,--to good morals and happiness; and if it were, in fact, secured to our glovers, and silkmen, and lace-makers, it would be purchased far too dear at the expense of the morals of such a multitude as are corrupted by our restrictive laws. There can be nothing in the nature of things to make the vexation and demoralization of some thousands necessary to the prosperity of other thousands. Providence cannot have appointed to governments such a choice of evils as this; and----"
"And you, my dear, for your share, will therefore withhold your allegiance from a government which attempts to institute such an opposition."
"It is rather too late an age of the world for me to turn rebel on that ground," replied Matilda, smiling. "Such governments as we were speaking of are dead and gone, long ago. Our government is not granting any new protections or prohibitions, surely!"
"But I thought you would quarrel with it for not taking away those which exist. I thought you would give it your best blessing if they sent an order to all us Preventive people to vacate our station-houses and march off."
"I certainly felt more disaffected to-day than ever in my life before," observed Matilda. "To think that, in a country like this, anybody may be stopped and searched upon mere suspicion!"
"With the privilege of demanding the decision of a magistrate, remember."
"Which magistrate may order the search, if he finds sufficient ground of suspicion. And this outrage is to take place as a very small part of the machinery for protecting the interests of certain classes, to the great injury of all the rest; and especially, as many of themselves say, to their own. It makes one indignant to think of it."