ny of you will want to join us.'

'In a trip to 'Olloway? No, thank you!'

Upon that something indistinguishable to the three who were withdrawing
was said in the group that had sniggered through Mrs. Thomas's speech.
Another one of that choice circle gave a great guffaw. There were still
more who were amused, but less indiscreetly. Three men, looking like
gentlemen, paused in the act of strolling by. They, too, were smiling.

'You laugh!' Ernestine's voice rang out.

'Wait a moment,' said Vida to her companions.

She looked back. It was plain, from Ernestine's face, she was not going
to let the meeting break up on that note.

'Don't you think it a little strange, considering the well-known
chivalry among men--don't you think it strange that against no reform
the world has ever seen----?'

'Reform! Wot rot!'

'If you don't admit it's reform, call it revolt!' She threw the red-hot
word out among the people as if its fire scorched her. 'Against no
revolt has there ever been such a torrent of ridicule let loose as
against the Women's Movement. It almost seems as if--in spite of men's
well-known protecting tenderness towards woman--it almost seems as if
there's nothing in this world so funny to a man as a woman!'

'Haw! Haw! Got it right that time!'

Borrodaile was smiling, too.

'Do you know,' Vida asked, 'who those men are who have just stopped?'

'No.'

'I believe Ernestine does.'

'Oh, perhaps they're bold bad members of Parliament.'

'Some of us,' she was saying, 'have read a little history. We have read
how every struggle towards freedom has met with opposition and abuse. We
expected to have our share of those things. But we find that no movement
before ours has ever had so much laughter to face.' Through the renewed
merriment she went on: 'Yes, you wonder I admit that. We don't deny
anything that's true. And I'll tell you another thing! We aren't made
any prouder of our men-folk by the discovery that behind their old
theory of woman as "half angel, half idiot," is a sneaking feeling that
"woman is a huge joke."'

'Or just a little one for a penny like you!'

'Men have imagined--they imagine still, that we have never noticed how
ridiculous _they_ can be. You see'--she leaned over and spoke
confidentially--'we've never dared break it to them.'

'Haw! Haw!'

'We know they _couldn't bear it_.'

'Oh-h!'

'So we've done all our laughing in our sleeves. Yes--and some years our
sleeves had to be m