One of Our Conquerors - World eBook Library

George Meredith
‘But it tells both ways,’ Dartrey said. ‘We don’t want to be
hectoring in the Channel. All we want, is to be sure of our
power, so as not to go hunting and fawning for alliances. Up
along that terrace Miss Nesta lives. Brighton would be a
choice place for a landing.’
Skepsey temporized, to get his national defences, by pleading
the country’s love of peace.
‘Then you give-up your portion of the gains of war—an
awful disgorgement,’ said Dartrey. ‘If you are really for peace,
you toss all your spare bones to the war-dogs. Otherwise,
Quakerly preaching is taken for hypocrisy.’
‘I ‘m afraid we are illogical, sir,’ said Skepsey, adopting one
of the charges of Mr. Durance, to elude the abominable word.
‘In you run, my friend.’ Dartrey sped him up the steps of
the hotel.
A little note lay on his breakfast-table. His invalid uncle’s
valet gave the morning’s report of the night.
The note was from Mrs. Blathenoy: she begged Captain
Dartrey, in double underlinings of her brief words, to mount
the stairs. He debated, and he went.
She was excited, and showed a bosom compressed to explode:
she had been weeping. ‘My husband is off. He bids
me follow him. What would you have me do?’
‘Go.’
‘You don’t care what may happen to your friends, the
Radnors?’
‘Not at the cost of your separation from your husband.’
‘You have seen him!’
‘Be serious.’
‘Oh, you cold creature! You know—you see: I can’t conceal.
And you tell me to go. “Go!” Gracious heavens! I’ve no
claim on you; I haven’t been able to do much; I would have—
never mind! believe me or not. And now I’m to go: on the
spot, I suppose. You’ve seen the man I ‘m to go to, too. I
would bear it, if it were not away from … out of sight of I’m
a fool of a woman, I know. There’s frankness for you! and I
could declare you’re saying “impudence” in your heart—or
what you have for one. Have you one?’
‘My dear soul, it ‘s a flint. So just think of your duty.’
Dartrey played the horrid part of executioner with some skill.
Her bosom sprang to descend into abysses.
‘And never a greater fool than when I sent for you to see
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