One of Our Conquerors - World eBook Library

George Meredith
cold water. The catastrophe was one to weep over, the dilemma
a trial of the strongest intelligences.
In addition to reviews of their solitary alternative-the having
of a befouled degraded little dog in their chamber through
the night, they were subjected to a conflict of emotions when
eyeing him: and there came to them the painful, perhaps
irreverent, perhaps uncharitable, thought:—that the sinner
who has rolled in the abominable, must cleanse him and do
things to polish him and perfume before again embraced
even by the mind: if indeed we can ever have our old sentiment
for him again! Mr. Stuart Rem might decide it for them.
Nay, before even the heart embraces him, he must completely
purify himself. That is to say, the ordinary human sinner—
save when a relative. Contemplating Tasso, the hearts of the
ladies gushed out in pity of an innocent little dog, knowing
not evil, dependent on his friends for help to be purified;—
necessarily kept at a distance: the very look of him prescribed
extreme separation, as far as practicable. But they had proof
of a love almost greater than it was previous to the offence,
in the tender precautions they took to elude repulsion.
He was rolling on the rug, communicating contagion.
Flasks of treble-distilled lavender water, and their favourite,
traditional in the family, eau d’Arquebusade, were on the
toilet-table. They sprinkled his basket, liberally sprinkled the
rug and the little dog. Perfume-pastilles were in one of the
sitting-rooms below; and Virginia would have gone down
softly to fetch a box, but Dorothea restrained her, in pity for
the servants, with the remark: ‘It would give us a nightmare
of a Roman Catholic Cathedral!’ A bit of the window was
lifted by Dorothea, cautiously, that prowling outsiders might
not be attracted. Tasso was wooed to his basket. He seemed
inquisitive; the antidote of his naughtiness excited him; his
tail circled after his muzzle several times; then he lay. A silken
scarf steeped in eau d’Arquebusade was flung across him.
Their customary devout observances concluded, lights were
extinguished, and the ladies kissed, and entered their beds.
Their beds were not homely to them. Dorothea thought
that Virginia was long in settling herself. Virginia did not
like the sound of Dorothea’s double sigh. Both listened anxiously
for the doings of Tasso. He rested.
He was uneasy; he was rounding his basket once more;
unaware of the exaggeration of his iniquitous conduct, poor
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