“I’ll be delighted, Josiah—simply delighted. Anything to help. If I can be the slightest use to you—and to Maria.”
That precious, “And to Maria,” brought a curl to the lip of the lawful Mayoress. Designing hussy! So like a man not to see through her. Maria felt herself slowly turning green. The heart has been known to take people that way.
“Gert is staying to dinner, Mother. Hope Billing sent up that salmon.”
Billing had sent up the salmon, the Mayor was meekly informed by the Mayoress.
“Chose it myself. Looked a good fish.”
“It is wonderful to me, Josiah”—affected mouncing minx!—“how you manage to get through your day. You seem to have time for everything. Why, your work as mayor alone would keep most people fully occupied. Yet you always seem able to attend personally to this and that and the other.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Gert.” Some of the great man’s critics were inclined to think that since he had made so good in his high office his amazing self-confidence had abated a feather or two. “I’ve always tried to be what I call a prattical man. If you want a thing done right do it yourself—that’s my motto.“
“But you get through so much, Josiah.“
“Just a habit. But there’s a very busy year ahead. Being Mayor o’ this city is not child’s play in times like these. We’re up against the food shortage now. Last year it was munitions. Next year it’ll be coal. And the Army’s always crying out for men. And any labor that isn’t in khaki is that durned independent and very inefficient into the bargain. The papers are always writing up what they call democracy. Well, you can have all my share of democracy. Between you and me, Gert, it’s mainly a name for a lot of jumped-up ignoramuses who have no idea of how little they do know. Yesterday I was over at Cleveley arranging with the Duke about a certain matter. Now he’s prattical fellow, is that. He said, ‘Mr. Munt, to be candid, I don’t know anything about the subject, but I’m very willing to learn.’ I tell you, Gert, you’d have to wait till the cows come home to hear one of our jumped-up Jacks-in-Office talking that way. There’s nothing they don’t know and they’re not afraid to say so. Why, it even takes me all my time to tell them anything.”