“Mean it!” echoed Sibyl—“Why, of course I do!”
[p 316]
“How can you doubt it!” I exclaimed.
“Well, you must both forgive me for asking such a question”—said Mavis still smiling—“But you see you are now among what are called the ‘county magnates,’ and county magnates consider themselves infinitely above all authors!” She laughed outright, and her blue eyes twinkled with fun. “I think many of them estimate writers of books as some sort of strange outgrowth of humanity that is barely decent. It is deliciously funny and always amuses me,—nevertheless, among my many faults, the biggest one is, I fancy, pride, and a dreadfully obstinate spirit of independence. Now, to tell you the truth, I have been asked by many so-called ‘great’ people to their houses, and when I have gone, I have generally been sorry for it afterwards.”
“Why?” I asked—“They honour themselves by inviting you.”
“Oh, I don’t think they take it in that way at all!” she replied, shaking her fair head demurely—“They fancy they have performed a great act of condescension,—whereas it is really I who condescend, for it is very good of me, you know, to leave the society of the Pallas Athene in my study for that of a flounced and frizzled lady of fashion!” Her bright smile again irradiated her face and she went on—“Once I was asked to luncheon with a certain baron and baroness who invited a few guests “to meet me,” so they said. I was not introduced to more than one or two of these people,—the rest sat and stared at me as if I were a new kind of fish or fowl. Then the baron showed me his house, and told me the prices of his pictures and his china,—he was even good enough to explain which was Dresden and which was Delft ware, though I believe, benighted author as I am, I could have instructed him equally on these, and other matters. However I managed to smile amicably through the whole programme, and professed myself charmed and delighted in the usual way;—but they never asked me to visit them again,—and, (unless indeed they wanted me to be impressed with their furniture-catalogue) I [p 317] can never make out what I did to be asked at all, and what I have done never to be asked any more!”
“They must have been parvenus,”—said Sibyl indignantly—“No well-bred people would have priced their goods to you, unless they happened to be Jews.”
Mavis laughed—a merry little laugh like a peal of bells,—then she continued—
“Well, I will not say who they were,—I must keep something for my ‘literary reminiscences’ when I get old! Then all these people will be named, and go down to posterity as Dante’s enemies went down to Dante’s hell! I have only told you the incident just to show you why I asked you if you meant it, when you invited me to visit you at Willowsmere. Because the baron and baroness I have spoken of ‘gushed’ over me and my poor books to such an extent that you would have fancied I was to be for evermore one of their dearest friends,—and they didn’t mean it! Other people I know embrace me effusively and invite me to their houses, and they don’t mean it! And when I find out these shams, I like to make it very clear on my own side that I do not seek to be embraced or invited, and that if certain great folks deem it a ‘favour’ to ask me to their houses, I do not so consider it, but rather think the ‘favour’ is entirely on my part if I accept the invitation. And I do not say this for my own self at all,—self has nothing to do with it,—but I do say it and strongly assert it for the sake of the dignity of Literature as an art and profession. If a few other authors would maintain this position, we might raise the standard of letters by degrees to what it was in the old days of Scott and Byron. I hope you do not think me too proud?”
“On the contrary, I think you are quite right”—said Sibyl earnestly—“And I admire you for your courage and independence. Some of the aristocracy are, I know, such utter snobs that often I feel ashamed to belong to them. But as far as we are concerned, I can only assure you that if you will honour us by becoming our friend as well as [p 318] neighbour, you shall not regret it. Do try and like me if you can!”
She bent forward with a witching smile on her fair face. Mavis looked at her seriously and admiringly.