“My father knows nothing about economic questions,” said Fisk, with dignity. “He has been ground down to the level he is at now, but he has never been below into the pit from which a class must either become submerged or rise above the one that is holding it down. They may rise through blood——”
“Oh, do stop, Mr. Fisk,” Teresa implored him, “I believe England got on a lot better when people only argued at elections and went on with things in between. But look here. Will you tell me what you get paid for stopping people working and I will find you something to do where you shall get the same for being of some use. I have promised to find someone who will give their whole time to doing properly what I did so badly in scraps for Miss Gainsborough. You have had an education which I haven’t, and you have much longer legs——”
“No, pardon me, I don’t approve of palliative methods,” said Mr. Fisk.
“Well, you won’t argue any more till we get out, will you?” asked Teresa. “How are the dormice?”
He launched into the subject with enthusiasm. He forsaw a great future for dormice in the field of knowledge when their habits had been studied more. After he got out at the next station Joseph remarked:
“Kerious sort of f’ller, isn’t he? Typical of a kind that’s dying out, I b’lieve. In a year or two you’ll find that sort of thing’ll hardly be done at all. Abs’lutely the latest thing already is t’ work at something and it’ll come in, you’ll find, and then everybody’ll want to do it for a bit. Fisk’ll be as jealous as poss’ble when he finds someone else has collared his little shovel and his paint pot and all that, and that there isn’t any loose money about to pay him for talking. It’s a very kerious thing how ’n idea gets out ’f date. I don’t know if you’re interested in morals and all that?”
“Go on,” said Teresa, “I shall be grateful if you will make me really cross with you.”
“How’s that?” inquired Joseph.
“It is like a sneeze that won’t come off—but never mind; you have worked me up into an explosion sometimes. What were you going to say?”
“I said I didn’t know if you are int’rested in morals; because I b’lieve very strongly that illicit love affairs and all that sort ’f thing’s going t’ be frightfully stale, what? Don’t you think so? Of course it’ll go on happ’ning; you can’t prevent it; but people will have t’ run the risk of being thought middle class. I’m fairf’lly bored with th’ idea of sex, myself, aren’t you?”