“Yes, I am sure we have everything due to us. And it is so suitable for you not to like the second rate. But I am afraid the basement dining-room is that. I believe Mr. Bentley would think so. We ought to be going to the study, which is the drawing-room tonight. We have honestly left that as it is.”
Miss Basden hurried across the hall to open the door for Emily, and Mr. Merry followed as if too cast down to take this natural office upon himself.
“What a lovely family group!” said Emily, as the Fletchers came in. “An uncle and a nephew, and a brother and a sister and an aunt, and a husband and a wife, and I think some more, all in four people! I wish Nicholas and I were something to Mr. and Mrs. Merry and Miss Basden.”
“Ah, you are, Miss Herrick, you are,” said Mr. Merry.
“And am I to be left out? That is very lonely for me,” said Mr. Burgess.
“Yes, yes, Mr. Burgess,” said Mr. Merry. “Why, Mr. Bentley! How are you, Mr. Bentley? Why, how nice it is to have one of the fathers of our laddies here among us, like this!”
“Let us go up to the fire, Miss Bentley,” said Mrs. Merry, “and leave the men to talk about the newspapers in the cold.”
“Why, what a way for your wife to talk in your presence, Mr. Merry!” said Delia.
“I don’t suppose wives ought to talk at all in their husbands’ presence,” said Herrick.
“Civilized countries are so artificial,” said Emily. “But you should not speak true words in jest, Nicholas. It is not open of you.”
“Well, what about us single women, Miss Herrick?” said Miss Basden.
“Well, I don’t suppose we ought to talk at all. I expect we ought to be exposed at birth, or something like that.”
“How would it be known at birth which of us were going to be single?” said Delia.
“That is really clever of you,” said Emily. “Though people exposed at birth would be single, wouldn’t they?”
“Well, we were certainly classed by the state with paupers and idiots and children, before we had the vote,” said Miss Basden. “I mean we women were.”
“And no nice children, or paupers either, and no really sensible idiots, would talk in people’s presence,” said Bumpus.
“Do we go in to dinner now, and pair off like the ark?” said Emily. “I think that is so useful. How clever of you, Nicholas, to have told everybody to take in everybody else, without telling them anything! But then men are clever.”
“Do you really think, Miss Herrick,” said Francis, as the seats were taken, “that men are clever in such little ways, compared to ladies? I think many people would grant the ladies the palm.”
“I won’t answer for my sister, Fletcher,” said Herrick. “She will be leading you into danger. You would soon find yourself in her power.”
“I should never be anything but glad, Mr. Herrick,” said Francis, leaning forward, “to find myself in any lady’s power.”
“That is rather a rash statement,” said Mr. Burgess. “I haven’t lived so long as many of the people here, but I should hardly say that.”
“Ah, Mr. Burgess, so you have seen life, have you?” said Mr. Merry.
“I have seen life, Merry,” said Bumpus. “Do please believe me.”
“We won’t talk about that, Richard,” said Herrick.
“Nicholas is going to be a bright host!” said Emily. “Isn’t he wonderful?”
“How are your little fellows tonight, Miss Bentley?” said Mr. Merry. “They are growing, you know. We can’t stop that; and we don’t want to; but we have to keep an eye on them.”
“Francis, listen,” said Bumpus. “You are the only possible future parent in the room. Bentley’s boys are here.”
Mr. Merry faintly sighed, as if he had indeed been working merely from habit; and Mr. Bentley looked up, as though he could see no occasion for himself to speak.
“It must be so nice to have a houseful of boys,” said Miss Lydia. “Boys and men are my province. Now, your woman is a complex creature. I don’t seem to get any hold upon her. It is just meant to show us, that we are all meant for different parts of what has to be done.”
“I gather, Miss Basden, that I am not on what you would call the side of the chosen,” said Francis, with his careful laugh. “I plead guilty to disagreeing with you on the woman’s suffrage question.”
“I think that these changes in the divorce laws will do a great deal towards equalizing the position of women,” said Miss Basden, with terseness and rising colour.
“Miss Basden,” said Francis, after a startled pause, “I should think any man unworthy of the name, who did not feel the old laws a crying disgrace to a civilized country; as you are brave enough to face these subjects. But I confess I should sympathize with you, if you preferred to turn your eyes from them.”
“Well, I should not sympathize with myself. I don’t think that, because people are safe from the married dangers, they should turn their eyes from others who are not.”
“You will all have your patience tried, if you go on,” said Herrick.
“But I expect they would all keep it,” said Delia, implying that this was a grave necessity.
“I do not know that, Miss Bentley,” said Francis. “I am afraid
