The Master of Mrs. Chilvers Part 5

ANNYS [There are tears in her eyes. She still clings to him.] I am so glad. Oh, I am so glad!

GEOFFREY It is all your doing. You have been such a splendid help. [He breaks gently away from her. Turns to ST. HERBERT, with a lighter tone.] Haven't you anything to say to a fellow? You're not usually dumb.

ST. HERBERT It has all been so sudden--as the early Victorian heroine was fond of remarking!

GEOFFREY [Laughs.] It has been sudden. We had, none of us, any idea till yesterday that old Bullock was thinking of resigning.

ELIZABETH [She has risen and moved towards the fire.] Won't it necessitate a bye-election?

[LADY MOGTON and ST. HERBERT have been thinking it out. On the others the word falls like a bombsh.e.l.l.]

GEOFFREY [He turns to her. He does not see their faces.] Yes.

But I don't antic.i.p.ate a contest. The Conservatives are without a candidate, and I am on good terms with the Labour Party. Perhaps Mr. Hunnable--[He laughs, then, turning, catches sight of his wife's face. From ANNYS he looks to the others.]

LADY MOGTON [She has risen.] You haven't heard, then, of McCaw versus Potts?

GEOFFREY "McCaw versus Potts!" What the -

ST. HERBERT Was decided in the House of Lords late yesterday afternoon. Briefly stated, it confers upon women the right of becoming Parliamentary candidates.

GEOFFREY [He is staggered.] You mean -

LADY MOGTON Having regard to which, we have decided to bring forward a woman candidate to contest the next bye-election.

GEOFFREY Um! I see.

ANNYS But we never thought--we never antic.i.p.ated it would be Geoffrey's.

LADY MOGTON I really cannot admit that that alters the case.

Geoffrey himself would never dream, I am sure, of asking us to sacrifice our cause to his convenience.

GEOFFREY No. Of course not. Certainly not.

LADY MOGTON It is perhaps unfortunate that the candidate selected -

ANNYS It is quite impossible. Such a dilemma was never dreamed of.

LADY MOGTON And if not? Is the solidarity of woman -

GEOFFREY [Beginning to guess.] Forgive my impatience; but whom HAVE you selected?

ELIZABETH [When she likes she can be quite sweet.] Your wife.

[He expected it.] We rather a.s.sumed [she appeals to the others with a gesture], I think, that the president of the Man's League for the Extension of the Franchise to Women would regard it as a compliment.

GEOFFREY [His dislike of her is already in existence.] Yes. Very thoughtful.

ANNYS You must choose some one else.

PHOEBE But there IS no one else.

ANNYS There's mamma.

PHOEBE Mamma's too heavy.

ANNYS Well, then, there's Elizabeth--there's you!

GEOFFREY Yes. Why not you? You and I could have a jolly little fight.

LADY MOGTON This is not a laughing matter. If I could think of any one to take Annys's place I should not insist. I cannot.

PHOEBE You see, it mustn't be a crank.

GEOFFREY [He is losing his temper.] Yes, I suppose that does limit you.

ELIZABETH And then--thanks to you--Mrs. Chilvers has had such excellent training in politics. It was that, I think, that decided us.

GEOFFREY [Convention forbids his strangling her.] Will somebody kindly introduce me to this lady?

ST. HERBERT Ah, yes, of course. You don't know each other, do you? Mr. Geoffrey Chilvers--Mrs. Joseph Spender. Mrs. Spender-- Mr. Chilvers, M.P.

ELIZABETH [Sweetly.] Delighted!

GEOFFREY [Not.] Charmed.

LADY MOGTON [To ANNYS.] I am not indifferent to your difficulty.

But the history of woman, my dear Annys, is a history of sacrifice.

We give our sons--if necessary, our husbands.

MRS. MOUNTCALM-VILLIERS [Affected.] How true!

ANNYS But you are not asking me to give him. You are asking me to fight him. I can't.

LADY MOGTON You mean you won't.

ANNYS You can put it that way if you like. I won't.

[A pause.]

JANET I thought Mrs. Chilvers had pledged her word.

ELIZABETH Yes. But without her husband's consent. So, of course, it doesn't count.

GEOFFREY [He turns on her.] Why not you--if there must be a fight? Or would it be against your principles?

ELIZABETH Not in the least.

GEOFFREY Ah!

ELIZABETH I would offer myself as a subst.i.tute. Only it might seem like coming between husband and wife.