第35章

Thurston naturally appropriated to his own efforts.His long tapering fingers were not so clean as they might have been, but this did not prevent him from waving them in the air and pointing them at imaginary Putney citizens whom he evoked in support of his statements.

"We 'ad a reelly thumpin' meeting on Thursday--Town Hall--One for the women in the small 'all hand one for the men in the Main Hall.

Almost no opposition you might say, and when it came to the Hymn singing it fairly took the roof off.A lot of 'em stopped afterwards--one lad of eighteen or so is coming over to us 'ere.

Butcher's apprentice.Says 'e's felt the Lord pressing him a long way back but the flesh held him.Might work him up into a very useful lad with the Lord's help.Thank you, Mrs.Warlock, I will try a bit more of that cold beef if you don't mind.Pretty place, Putney.Ever been there, Mr.Warlock? Ah, you should go--"Amy Warlock listened with the greatest interest; otherwise, it must be confessed, Mr.Thurston's audience was somewhat inattentive.Mr.

Warlock's mind was obviously elsewhere; he passed his hand through his beard, his eyes staring at the table-cloth.Mr.Thurston, noticing this, tried another topic.

"What 'ave you heard, Mrs.Warlock, about the new Miss Cardinal? I'aven't seen her yet myself."

Mrs.Warlock, who had just given herself a little piece of beef, some potato and some spinach, and was arranging these delicacies with the greatest care upon her plate, just smiled without raising her eyes.Amy answered--"I've seen her.I was there this afternoon.I can't say that I found her very interesting.Plain-ugly in fact.She never opened her mouth all the afternoon.Caroline Smith tells me that she knows nothing at all, seen nothing, been nowhere.Bad-tempered I should think.""Dear, dear," said Mr.Thurston with a gratified sigh, "is it so reelly?"Martin looked across at his sister indignantly."Trust one woman about another," he said."Just because she doesn't chatter like a magpie you concluded she's got nothing to say.It's even conceivable that she found you dull, Amy."Amy looked at him with a strange penetrating glance that in some undefined way increased his irritation."It's quite possible," she said quietly."But I don't think even you, Martin, can call her handsome.As to her intelligence, she never gave me a chance of judging.""I've been there several times," said Martin hotly."I like her immensely." He felt as soon as he had spoken that it had been a foolish thing to say.He saw Mr.Thurston smile.In the pause that followed he felt as though he had with a gesture of the hand flung a stone into a pool of chatter and scandal whose ripples might spread far beyond his control.At that moment he hated his sister.

"I didn't know you knew her so well, dear," said his mother.

"I don't know her," he said, "I've only seen her three times.But she ought to be given her chance.It can't be much fun for her coming here where she knows no one--after her father suddenly dying.

I believe she was all alone with him."

He had expected his father to defend her.He remembered that he had apparently liked her.But his father said nothing.There was an awkward and uncomfortable pause.After supper Mr.Thurston rubbed his hands, helped Amy Warlock into her cloak, said to the company in general:

"Good night.Should be a very full meeting to-night...Well, well...Thank you for your kindness, Mrs.Warlock, I'm sure."The door was closed, Mrs.Warlock retired into her bedroom; the house was left to Martin and his father.

Mr.Warlock's room was hideous.It opened, somewhat ironically, out of Mrs.Warlock's pink drawing-room.A huge and exceedingly ugly American roll-top desk took up much of the room.There were bookshelves into which books had been piled.Commentaries on the Bible, volumes of sermons, pamphlets, tattered copies of old religious magazines.A bare carpet displayed holes and rents.The fireplace was grim with dirty pieces of paper and untidy shavings.

In the midst of this disorder there hung over the mantelpiece, against the faded grey wall-paper, a fine copy of Raphael's "Transfiguration." Mr.Warlock lighted a candle and the flame flickered with changing colours upon the picture's surface.It had been given to John Warlock many years before by an old lady who heard him preach and had been, for a week, converted, but on his demand that she should give her wealth to the poor and fling aside her passion for Musical Comedy, left him with indignation.The picture had remained; it hung there now crooked on its cord.

John Warlock was unconscious of the dust and disorder that surrounded him.His own passion for personal cleanliness sprang from the early days with his father, to whom bodily cleanliness had been part of a fanatical mysticism.Partly also by reason of that early training, sloth, drunkenness, immorality, had no power over him.And of the whole actual world that surrounded him he was very little conscious except that he hated towns and longed always for air and space.

So that the windows were open one room was to him as another.