and Montenegro and Sofia, they were
being overdone. Everybody went to the Balkans and came back with a pet
nationality. She loathed pet nationalities. She believed most people
loathed them nowadays. It was stale: it was GLADSTONIAN. She was all for
specialization in social reform. She thought Benham ought to join the
Fabian Society and consult the Webbs. Quite a number of able young men
had been placed with the assistance of the Webbs. They were, she said,
"a perfect fount...." Two other people, independently of each other,
pointed out to Benham the helpfulness of a few articles in the
half-crown monthlies....

"What are the assumptions underlying all this?" Benham asked himself in
a phase of lucidity.

And after reflection. "Good God! The assumptions! What do they think
will satisfy me?..."

Everybody, however, did not point to Parliament. Several people seemed
to think Travel, with a large T, was indicated. One distant cousin of
Sir Godfrey's, the kind of man of the world who has long moustaches, was
for big game shooting. "Get right out of all this while you are young,"
he said. "There's nothing to compare with stopping a charging lion
at twenty yards. I've done it, my boy. You can come back for all this
pow-wow afterwards." He gave the diplomatic service as a second choice.
"There you are," he said, "first-rate social position, nothing to do,
theatres, operas, pretty women, colour, life. The best of good times.
Barring Washington, that is. But Washington, they say, isn't as bad as
it used to be--since Teddy has Europeanized 'em...."

Even the Reverend Harold Benham took a subdued but thoughtful share in
his son's admonition. He came up to the flat--due precautions were taken
to prevent a painful encounter--he lunched at his son's new club, and he
was visibly oppressed by the contrast between the young man's youthful
fortunes and his own. As visibly he bore up bravely. "There are few men,
Poff, who would not envy you your opportunities," he said. "You have the
Feast of Life spread out at your feet.... I hope you have had yourself
put up for the Athenaeum. They say it takes years. When I was a young
man--and ambitious--I thought that some day I might belong to the
Athenaeum.... One has to learn...."

7

And with an effect of detachment, just as though it didn't belong to
the rest of him at all, there was beginning a sort of backstairs and
underside to Benham's life. There is no need to discuss how inevita