the secret places of the heart-第32章

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p　the　thread　of　some　controversy　that　had　played　a　large　part　in　her　life。　〃That　isn't　going　on；〃　she　said　with　an　effect　of　conclusive　decision。　Sir　Richmond　recalled　that　little　speech　now　as　he　returned　from　Salisbury　station　to　the　Old　George　after　his　farewell　to　Martineau。　He　recalled　too　the　soft　firmness　of　her　profile　and　the　delicate　line　of　her　lifted　chin。　He　felt　that　this　time　at　any　rate　he　was　not　being　deceived　by　the　outward　shows　of　a　charming　human　being。　This　young　woman　had　real　firmness　of　character　to　back　up　her　free　and　independent　judgments。　He　smiled　at　the　idea　of　any　facile　passion　in　the　composition　of　so　sure　and　gallant　a　personality。　Martineau　was　very　fine…minded　in　many　respects；　but　he　was　an　old　maid；　and　like　all　old　maids　he　saw　man　and　woman　in　every　encounter。　But　passion　was　a　thing　men　and　women　fell　back　upon　when　they　had　nothing　else　in　common。　When　they　thought　in　the　pleasantest　harmony　and　every　remark　seemed　to　weave　a　fresh　thread　of　common　interest；　then　it　wasn't　so　necessary。　It　might　happen；　but　it　wasn't　so　necessary。　。　。　。　If　it　did　it　would　be　a　secondary　thing　to　companionship。　That's　what　she　was；a　companion。　But　a　very　lovely　and　wonderful　companion；　the　companion　one　would　not　relinquish　until　the　very　last　moment　one　could　keep　with　her。　Her　views　about　America　and　about　her　own　place　in　the　world　seemed　equally　fresh　and　original　to　Sir　Richmond。　〃I　realize　I've　got　to　be　a　responsible　American　citizen；〃　she　had　said。　That　didn't　mean　that　she　attached　very　much　importance　to　her　recently　acquired　vote。　She　evidently　classified　voters　into　the　irresponsible　who　just　had　votes　and　the　responsible　who　also　had　a　considerable　amount　of　property　as　well。　She　had　no　illusions　about　the　power　of　the　former　class。　It　didn't　exist。　They　were　steered　to　their　decisions　by　people　employed；　directed　or　stimulated　by　〃father〃　and　his　friends　and　associates；　the　owners　of　America；　the　real　〃responsible　citizens。〃　Or　they　fell　a　prey　to　the　merely　adventurous　leading　of　〃revolutionaries。〃　But　anyhow　they　were　steered。　She　herself；　it　was　clear；　was　bound　to　become　a　very　responsible　citizen　indeed。　She　would　some　day；　she　laughed；　be　swimming　in　oil　and　such　like　property。　Her　interest　in　Sir　Richmond's　schemes　for　a　scientific　world　management　of　fuel　was　therefore；　she　realized；　a　very　direct　one。　But　it　was　remarkable　to　find　a　young　woman　seeing　it　like　that。　Father　it　seemed　varied　very　much　in　his　attitude　towards　her。　He　despised　and　distrusted　women　generally；　and　it　was　evident　he　had　made　it　quite　clear　to　her　how　grave　an　error　it　was　on　her　part　to　persist　in　being　a　daughter　and　not　a　son。　At　moments　it　seemed　to　Sir　Richmond　that　she　was　disposed　to　agree　with　father　upon　that。　When　Mr。　Grammont's　sense　of　her　regrettable　femininity　was　uppermost；　then　he　gave　his　intelligence　chiefly　to　schemes　for　tying　her　up　against　the　machinations　of　adventurers　by　means　of　trustees；　partners；　lawyers；　advisers；　agreements　and　suchlike　complications；　or　for　acquiring　a　workable　son　by　marriage。　To　this　last　idea　it　would　seem　the　importance　in　her　life　of　the　rather　heavily　named　Gunter　Lake　was　to　be　ascribed。　But　another　mood　of　the　old　man's　was　distrust　of　anything　that　could　not　be　spoken　of　as　his　〃own　flesh　and　blood；〃　and　then　he　would　direct　his　attention　to　a　kind　of　masculinization　of　his　daughter　and　to　schemes　for　giving　her　the　completest　control　of　all　he　had　to　leave　her　provided　she　never　married　nor　fell　under　masculine　sway。　〃After　all；〃　he　would　reflect　as　he　hesitated　over　the　practicability　of　his　life's　ideal；　〃there　was　Hetty　Green。〃　This　latter　idea　had　reft　her　suddenly　at　the　age　of　seventeen　from　the　educational　care　of　an　English　gentlewoman　warranted　to　fit　her　for　marriage　with　any　prince　in　Europe；　and　thrust　her　for　the　mornings　and　a　moiety　of　the　afternoons　of　the　better　part　of　a　year；　after　a　swift　but　competent　training；　into　a　shirt　waist　and　an　office　down　town。　She　had　been　entrusted　at　first　to　a　harvester　concern　independent　of　Mr。　Grammont；　because　he　feared　his　own　people　wouldn't　train　her　hard。　She　had　worked　for　ordinary　wages　and　ordinary　hours；　and　at　the　end　of　the　day；　she　mentioned　casually；　a　large　automobile　with　two　menservants　and　a　trustworthy　secretary　used　to　pick　her　out　from　the　torrent　of　undistinguished　workers　that　poured　out　of　the　Synoptical　Building。　This　masculinization　idea　had　also　sent　her　on　a　commission　of　enquiry　into　Mexico。　There　apparently　she　had　really　done　responsible　work。　But　upon　the　question　of　labour　Mr。　Grammont　was　fierce；　even　for　an　American　business　man；　and　one　night　at　a　dinner　party　he　discovered　his　daughter　displaying　what　he　considered　an　improper　familiarity　with　socialist　ideas。　This　had　produced　a　violent　revulsion　towards　the　purdah　system　and　the　idea　of　a　matrimonial　alliance　with　Gunter　Lake。　Gunter　Lake；　Sir　Richmond　gathered；　wasn't　half　a　bad　fellow。　Generally　it　would　seem　Miss　Grammont　liked　him；　and　she　had　a　way　of　speaking　about　him　that　suggested　that　in　some　way　Mr。　Lake　had　been　rather　hardly　used　and　had　acquired　merit　by　his　behaviour　under　bad　treatment。　There　was　some　story；　however；　connected　with　her　war　services　in　Europe　upon　which　Miss　Grammont　was　evidently　indisposed　to　dwell。　About　that　story　Sir　Richmond　was　left　at　the　end　of　his　Avebury　day　and　after　his　last　talk　with　Dr。　Martineau；　still　quite　vaguely　guessing。　So　much　fact　about　Miss　Grammont　as　we　have　given　had　floated　up　in　fragments　and　pieced　itself　together　in　Sir　Richmond's　mind　in　the　course　of　a　day　and　a　half。　The　fragments　came　up　as　allusions　or　by　way　of　illustration。　The　sustaining　topic　was　this　New　Age　Sir　Richmond　fore　shadowed；　this　world　under　scientific　control；　the　Utopia　of　fully　developed　people　fully　developing　the　resources　of　the　earth。　For　a　number　of　trivial　reasons　Sir　Richmond　found　himself　ascribing　the　project　of　this　New　Age　almost　wholly　to　Dr。　Martineau；　and　presenting　it　as　a　much　completer　scheme　than　he　was　justified　in　doing。　It　was　true　that　Dr。　Martineau　had　not　said　many　of　the　things　Sir　Richmond　ascribed　to　him；　but　also　it　was　true　that　they　had　not　crystallized　out　in　Sir　Richmond's　mind　before　his　talks　with　Dr。　Martineau。　The　idea　of　a　New　Age　necessarily　carries　with　it　the　idea　of　fresh　rules　of　conduct　and　of　different　relationships　between　human　beings。　And　it　throws　those　who　talk　about　it　into　the　companionship　of　a　common　enterprise。　To…morrow　the　New　Age　will　be　here　no　doubt；　but　today　it　is　the　hope　and　adventure　of　only　a　few　human　beings。　So　that　it　was　natural　for　Miss　Grammont　and　Sir　Richmond　to　ask：　〃What　are　we　to　do　with　such　types　as　father？〃　and　to　fall　into　an　idiom　that　assumed　a　joint　enterprise。　They　had　agreed　by　a　tacit　consent　to　a　common　conception　of　the　world　they　desired　as　a　world　scientifically　ordered；　an　immense　organization　of　mature　commonsense；　healthy　and　secure；　gathering　knowledge　and　power　for　creative　adventures　as　yet　beyond　dreaming。　They　were　prepared　to　think　of　the　makers　of　the　Avebury　dyke　as　their　yesterday　selves；　of　the　stone　age　savages　as　a　phase；　in　their　late　childhood；　and　of　this　great　world