One of Our Conquerors - World eBook Library

George Meredith
won’t have cause to regret it. He speaks of Nesta—sort of
rustic tone of awe. Mrs. Marsett has impressed him. He expects
the title soon, will leave the army—the poor plucked
British army, as you call it!—and lead the life of a country
squire: hunting! Well, it’s not only the army, it’s over Great
Britain, with this infernal wealth of ours!—and all for pleasure—eh?—or
Paradise lost for a sugar plum! Eh, Dartrey?
Upon my word, it appears to me, Esau’s the Englishman,
Jacob the German, of these times. I wonder old Colney hasn’t
said it. If we’re not plucked, as your regiments are of the
officers who have learnt their work, we’re emasculated:—the
nation’s half made-up of the idle and the servants of the idle.’
‘Ay, and your country squires and your manufacturers contrive
to give the army a body of consumptive louts fit for
nothing else than to take the shilling—and not worth it,’
said Dartrey.
‘Sounds like old Colney,’ Victor remarked to himself. ‘But,
believe me, I’m ashamed of the number of servants who wait
on me. It wouldn’t so much matter, as Skepsey says, if they
were trained to arms and self-respect. That little fellow
Skepsey’s closer to the right notion, and the right practice,
too, than any of us. With his Matilda Pridden! He has jumped
out of himself to the proper idea of women, too. And there’s
a man who has been up three times before the magistrates,
and is considered a disorderly subject—one among the best
of English citizens, I declare! I never think of Skepsey without
the most extraordinary, witless kind of envy—as if he
were putting in action an idea I once had and never quite
got hold of again. The match for him is Fredi. She threatens
to be just as devoted, just as simple, as he. I positively doubt
whether any of us could stop her, if she had set herself to do
a thing she thought right.’
‘I should not like to think our trying it possible,’ said
Dartrey.
‘All very well, but it’s a rock ahead. We shall have to alter
our course, my friend. You know, I dined with that couple,
after the private twenty minutes with Marsett: he formally
propounded the invitation, as we were close on his hour,
rather late: and I wanted to make the woman happy, besides
putting a seal of cordiality on his good intentions—politic!
And subsequently I heard from her, that—you’ll think nothing
of it!—Fredi promised to stand by her at the altar.’
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