The Daughters of Danaus Part 51

"You are very penetrating," she replied, after a moment's hesitation, "that is exactly what I _am_ doing. When I was a girl, my brothers and sisters and I used to discuss the question of the sovereignty of the will. Most of us believed in it devoutly. We regarded circ.u.mstance as an annoying trifle, that no person who respected himself would allow to stand in his way. I want to try that theory and see what comes of it."

"You alarm me, Mrs. Temperley."

"Yes, people always do seem to get alarmed when one attempts to put their favourite theories in practice."

"But really--for a woman----"

"The sovereignty of the will is a dangerous doctrine?"

"Well, as things are; a young woman, a beautiful woman."

"You recall an interesting memory," she said.

"Ah, that is unkind."

Her smile checked him.

"When you fall into a mocking humour, you are quite impracticable."

"I merely smiled," she said, "sweetly, as I thought."

"It is really cruel; I have not had a word with you for days, and the universe has become a wilderness."

"A pleasant wilderness," she observed, looking round.

"Nature is a delightful background, but a poor subject."

"Do you think so? I often fancy one's general outlook would be nicer, if one had an indistinct human background and a clear foreground of unspoiled Nature. But that may be a jaundiced view."

Hadria went off to meet Lady Engleton, who was coming down the avenue with Madame Bertaux. Professor Theobald instinctively began to follow and then stopped, reddening, as he met the glance of Miss Temperley. He flung himself into conversation with her, and became especially animated when he was pa.s.sing Hadria, who did not appear to notice him. As both Professors were to leave Craddock Dene at the end of the week, this was the last meeting in the Priory gardens.

Miss Temperley found Professor Theobald entertaining, but at times a little incoherent.

"Why, there is Miss Du Prel!" exclaimed Henriette. "What an erratic person she is. She went to London the day before yesterday, and now she turns up suddenly without a word of warning."

This confirmed Professor Theobald's suspicions that something serious was going on at the Red House.

Valeria explained her return to Hadria, by saying that she had felt so nervous about what the latter might be going to attempt, that she had come back to see if she could be of help, or able to ward off any rash adventure.

There was a pleasant open s.p.a.ce among the shrubberies, where several seats had been placed to command a dainty view of the garden and lawns, with the house in the distance, and here the party gradually converged, in desultory fas.h.i.+on, coming up and strolling off again, as the fancy inspired them.

Cigars were lighted, and a sense of sociability and enjoyment suffused itself, like a perfume, among the group.

Lady Engleton was delighted to see Miss Du Prel again. She did so want to continue the hot discussion they were having at the Red House that afternoon, when Mr. Temperley _would_ be so horridly logical. He smiled and twisted his moustache.

"We were interrupted by some caller, and had to leave the argument at a most exciting moment."

"An eternally interesting subject!" said Temperley; "what woman is, what she is not."

"My dread is that presently, the need for dissimulation being over, all the delightful mystery will have vanished," said Professor Theobald. "I should tire, in a day, of a woman I could understand."

"You tempt one to enquire the length of the reign of a satisfactory enigma," cried Lady Engleton.

"Precisely the length of her ability to mystify me," he replied.

"Your future wife ought to be given a hint."

"Oh! a wife, in no case, could hold me: the mere fact that it was my duty to adore her, would be chilling. And when added to that, I knew that she had placed it among the list of her obligations to adore _me_--well, that would be the climax of disenchantment."

Hubert commended his wisdom in not marrying.

"The only person I could conceivably marry would be my cook; in that case there would be no romance to spoil, no vision to destroy."

"I fear this is a cloak for a poor opinion of our s.e.x, Professor."

"On the contrary. I admire your s.e.x too much to think of subjecting them to such an ordeal. I could not endure to regard a woman I had once admired, as a matter of course, a commonplace in my existence."

Henriette plunged headlong into the fray, in opposition to the Professor's heresy. The conversation became general.

Professor Theobald fell out of it. He was furtively watching Hadria, whose eyes were strangely bright. She was sitting on the arm of a seat, listening to the talk, with a little smile on her lips. Her hand clasped the back of the seat rigidly, as if she were holding something down.

The qualities and defects of the female character were frankly canva.s.sed, each view being held with fervour, but expressed with urbanity. Women were _always_ so and so; women were absolutely _never_ so and so: women felt, without exception, thus and thus; on the contrary, they were entirely devoid of such sentiments. A large experience and wide observation always supported each opinion, and eminent authorities swarmed to the standard.

"I do think that women want breadth of view," said Lady Engleton.

"They sometimes want accuracy of statement," observed Professor Theobald, with a possible second meaning in his words.

"It seems to me they lack concentration. They are too versatile," was Hubert's comment.

"They want a sense of honour," was a.s.serted.

"And a sense of humour," some one added.

"They want a feeling of public duty."

"They want a spice of the Devil!" exclaimed Hadria.

There was a laugh.

Hubert thought this was a lack not likely to be felt for very long. It was under rapid process of cultivation.

"Why, it is a commonplace, that if a woman _is_ bad, she is always _very_ bad," cried Lady Engleton.

"A new and intoxicating experience," said Professor Fortescue. "I sympathize."

"New?" his colleague murmured, with a faint chuckle.

"You distress me," said Henriette.